This open-source research application, https://github.com/NHERI-SimCenter/R2D, provides an application researchers can use to predict the damage to a region given a natural hazard. The computations to make these determinations can be prohibitively expensive. To overcome this impedement the user has the option to perform the computations on the Stampede2 supercomputer. Stampede2 is located at the Texas Advanced Computing Center and is made available to the user through NHERI DesignSafe, the cyberinfrastructure provider for the distributed NSF funded Natural Hazards in Engineering Research Infrastructure, NHERI, facility.
The computations are performed in a workflow application. That is, the numerical simulations are actually performed by a number of different applications. The R2D backend software runs these different applications for the user, taking the outputs from some programs and providing them as inputs to others. The design of the R2D application is such that researchers are able to modify the backend application to utilize their own application in the workflow computations. This will ensure researchers are not limited to using the default applications we provide and will be enthused to provide their own applications for others to use.
This is Version 1.0.0 of the tool and as such is limited in scope. Researchers are encouraged to comment on what additional features and applications they would like to see in this application. If you want it, chances are many of your colleagues also would benefit from it.
This work is based on material supported by the National Science Foundation under grant 1612843