3 giugno 2026

Sige - Information System for Emergency Management

SIGE is a software developed by the Civil Protection Department that is activated whenever a seismic event occurs within thye Italian territory with a magnitude of Ml ≥ 4.6 in a tectonic area, or a magnitude of Ml ≥ 4.2 in a volcanic area. This software, which has recently been redesigned to allow for remote use, based on the epicenter data provided by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) (epicenter coordinates, magnitude and depth, date and time of the event), generates:

  • an initial shaking scenario, which describes how the macroseismic intensity (MCS) and peak ground acceleration (PGA) are thought to have decreased with increasing distance from the epicenter;
  • an initial damage scenario, providing an initial estimate of the structural damage expected to be sustained by both the residential buildings (collapsed, uninhabitable, and damaged structures) and the population (fatalities, injuries, and the homeless)
  • an overview of key knowledge of the territory, including the seismicity of the affected area and information regarding the population and residential buildings.

The calculations start by converting the local magnitude (ML), provided by the INGV, into moment magnitude (Mw), using Gasperini’s 2013 law. The moment magnitude (Mw) is then converted into epicentral intensity. To determine the intensity perceived in the various municipalities, the Gomez-Capera attenuation law is used for ML ≤ 5.5 and the Pasolini law for ML > 5.5.

Building vulnerability is represented by damage probability matrices (DPMs), historically developed primarily based on damage observations from the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. Damage probability matrices (DPMs) express the probability of exceeding a given damage level, for a specific vulnerability class, when an event reaches a specific intensity. Expected losses are estimated by analyzing the contributions for each vulnerability class. These contributions are calculated based on the probability of that damage level occurring—relative to the observed intensity and vulnerability class—multiplied by the number of buildings (or floor area) in that class within the municipality. Information on the building stock was obtained from ISTAT census data.