turning-the-tide-with-ai-and-hpc

With the country's unique position within the Ring of Fire, such natural hazards have become part and parcel of everyday life in Japan. Accordingly, the nation is considered a model for disaster preparedness: each resident is advised to carry fireproof evacuation bags with first aid, sanitation products as well as food and water. Meanwhile, buildings constructed after 1981 are required to have earthquake-resistant structures, meaning thicker beams, pillars and walls as well as shock-absorbers to reduce shaking in taller buildings. And yet, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake came as a huge shock--literally. On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku region along Japan's eastern coast was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake for six minutes; the strongest in the country's records so far.