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Wednesday, April 23, 2025
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We are pleased to announce the release of OpenSHA 25.4.0, now available for download at:
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As an object-oriented framework, OpenSHA can accommodate arbitrarily complex (e.g., physics based) earthquake rupture forecasts (ERFs), ground-motion models, and engineering-response models, which narrows the gap between cutting-edge geophysics and state-of-the-art hazard and risk evaluations.
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This marks the first major release in approximately four years, following OpenSHA 1.5.2 (June 2021), and introduces significant new capabilities, performance improvements, and stability enhancements. Whether you are a long-time OpenSHA user or new to the platform, this release offers compelling upgrades for seismic hazard analysis, computational efficiency, and usability.
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Key Improvements in OpenSHA 25.4.0
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Support for New and Updated ERFs:
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- Added support for "NSHM23 Western US (crustal only, excl. Cascadia) Branch Averaged ERF" — the most recent USGS ERF for the Western U.S.
- Included the "WGCEP UCERF3 Epistemic List ERF" — the expanded epistemic uncertainty version of UCERF3, enabling plotting of fractiles and curves
Improvements to Gridded Seismicity Calculations:
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- Support for advanced gridded seismicity techniques, such as super-sampling sources within each grid cell (as is done for USGS NSHM calculations).
- Better visibility for point-source distance calculations, now enabled by default for most models.
Generalized Conditional Intensity Measure (GCIM) Calculator:
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- Now integrated into the HazardCurve Control Panel, enabling refined aftershock ground motion selection
- See Ground Motion Selection Software for an overview of GCIM and ground motion selection
GetFile Framework for Versioned ERFs:
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- Automated retrieval of externally hosted ERFs, reducing dependency on OpenSHA release cycles
- GetFile now distributes the following ERFs over CARC for use in OpenSHA
- Mean UCERF3
- UCERF3 Single Branch ERF
- UCERF3 Epistemic List ERF
- NSHM23-WUS (crustal only, excl. Cascadia) Branch Avg ERF
- Learn more about the GetFile framework and how it supports OpenSHA science goals by deploying large, complex, and continuously updated ERFs. See SCECpedia - GetFile
- Refactored interface for a more responsive and stable experience
- Fixed progress bars for ERF downloads, improving transparency in long-running tasks
- Graceful job cancellation in HazardCurve and HazardSpectrum applications — no more crashes on interruption
For users of OpenSHA 1.5.2, this release provides:
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- New scientific models (NSHM23, UCERF3) for up-to-date hazard assessments
- More reliable workflows with UI and stability improvements
- Future-proofing via the GetFile framework, ensuring seamless access to updates to distributed ERFs
While OpenSHA 1.5.2 will remain functional, we strongly encourage upgrading to 25.4.0 to take advantage of these advancements.
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Getting Started & Support
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For questions or assistance, contact the SCEC software development group at software@scec.org.
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Thank you for your continued support of OpenSHA. We look forward to seeing how you apply these new tools in your research!
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SCEC Software Engineer, OpenSHA
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