Development of a United States community shear wave velocity profile database

We present the details of a multi-institutional effort to develop an open-access shear-wave velocity (V_S) profile database (PDB), which will include a public repository for V_S profile data in the United States. V_S profiles are an essential resource for ground motion modeling and other applications. The minimum requirements for a site to be included in the database are in situ geophysical V_S measurements and location metadata (geodetic coordinates and elevation). Other information is included as available, including geotechnical logs, penetration resistance, laboratory test data, ground water elevation, and P-wave velocity profiles. The project is currently at the stage of data collection (over 4500 V_S profiles) and prototype data model development. The database will be presented as an online map-based interface with downloadable V_S profile and metadata information. This paper serves as a progress report to the geotechnical and earthquake engineering communities, as we seek community engagement and support.