VORTEX-Winds: A Virtual Organization for Reducing the Toll of EXtreme Winds on Society

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Proposal Number: CBET-0742191Principal Investigator: Kareem, AhsanAffiliation: University of Notre DameProposal Title: VORTEX-Winds: A Virtual Organization for Reducing the Toll of EXtreme Winds on SocietyWind-related catastrophes inflict enormous devastation on the built environment and result in a staggering number of fatalities, which may continue to rise in the future given the increase in exposure as population migrates towards the coasts. To better manage the impact of extreme wind events, given the heavy reliance on empirical and experimental information in the design process, a new paradigm is required that utilizes shared resources and global collaborations. In order to address this critical issue, a Virtual Organization for Reducing the Toll of EXtreme Winds (VORTEX-Winds) is proposed that would enable such a paradigm shift by offering real-time shared access to geographically dispersed resources for more effective research and education in the area of wind effects on structures. The goals of this proposal are (i) to establish and sustain such a virtual community for wind hazard mitigation; (ii) to enhance this community?s analysis and design capabilities to address next generation challenges posed by wind; and (iii) to facilitate education and training of the future workforce in the field.Through a collection of tools and services networked with a flexible architecture and interfaces to support research and education objectives in real-time, VORTEX-Winds promises to enhance the capability of its members and end users beyond their current resources through a synergistic, integrative approach to understanding and modeling wind-structure interactions. Thus, VORTEX-Winds will benefit those otherwise limited by their personal research tools, allowing them to address complex problems posed by wind in support of the wider stakeholder community.Meanwhile, and perhaps more importantly, VORTEX-Winds will bring the analytical muscle currently lacking in the design industry?s next generation electronic information/data interchange platform, Building Information Modeling (BIM), to strengthen the competitive edge of its end users involved in the burgeoning infrastructure development around the world and ensure its safety and performance in extreme wind events. In addition, the EVO will offer an interactive knowledge base intended to aggregate and centralize the shared knowledge of the collaboratory, including a wind-wiki, damage database, help desk/FAQ, bulletin boards and curriculum tools to facilitate dissemination and education. The result will be a community as a whole better positioned to address the next frontiers in the field.