Animated over disaster

Emergency planning is easier when the authorities know what the emergency will be and when it will occur.

Take Istanbul, which lies just north of the North Anatolian fault and is said to be at high risk of a major earthquake within the next 30 years.

Engineers in Turkey and Purdue University, Indiana, have come up with ambitious plans to create a mini satellite city to cope with the aftermath of such a catastrophe.

University researchers have created a 3D fly-through animation showing what the city would look like using new technology developed by the Office of Information Technology at Purdue.

The animation was created in two months using the TeraGrid, a computing grid that was funded by the US National Science Foundation.

It was rendered using the TeraGrid Distributed Rendering Environment, developed by IT research scientists at Purdue.

Mete Sozen, Kettelhut distinguished professor of civil engineering at Purdue, said building a satellite city has several advantages.

'It is exciting to think about building a new city using completely new technologies,' he said.

'It would use modern information techniques and be environmentally friendly. It would be safe, secure and modern.

'But more important is that it would provide a refuge and emergency services in the event of an earthquake.'