Machine Vision Aids Earthquake Retrofit Studies

As recent events in Haiti and Argentina have highlighted, many urban buildings in seismically active regions worldwide are in need of reinforcement to resist earthquake damage. One challenge facing earthquake retrofit activities is finding a balance between the cost and the effectiveness of the methods to be used. As part of its efforts to verify the efficiency and accuracy of new Italian regulations for the seismic assessment and repair to existing buildings, the European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering (EUCENTRE, Pavia, Italy) used machine vision as a no-contact measurement system.