4. Software Guide

ShakeMap is a collection of modules written in Python and some C. Python is a powerful, freely available scripting language that runs on all computer platforms. The collection of Python modules allows the processing to flow in discrete steps that can be run collectively or individually. Within the Python modules, other modules are imported to efficiently perform many of the operations and to ease the development. An installation script allows for the simple installation of Python and the ShakeMap dependencies in a Conda virtual environment. In the design of ShakeMap, all components are built from freely available, open-source packages.

To enable customization for specific earthquakes or for different regions, ShakeMap collection of configuration files. For example, in these files, one assigns the regional geographic boundaries and mapping characteristics, which ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) to use, where and how to transfer the maps, email recipient lists, and so on. Specific details about the software and configuration files are described in detail in the Installation and Configuration section.

ShakeMap generates a wide range of products designed to suit most users’ needs. See the section Products and Formats in the Users Guide for a description of most of these products..

• 4.1. Software Architecture
• 4.2. Installation and Configuration
• 4.3. Queueing Events
• 4.4. Input Data Formats
• 4.5. Output Data Formats
• 4.6. Operational Considerations
• 4.7. ShakeMap Implementation Checklist
• 4.8. Software Installation
• 4.9. Guidelines for Contributors