Calling all California and Bay Area locals!
Replies: 16 - Last Post: Jul 30, 2012 11:18 AM Last Post By: nutraxfornerves
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Calling all California and Bay Area locals!
Hello everyone, my name is George and I live in the United Kingdom. I will be visiting San Francisco this August on vacation and while I am there, I need to conduct some research into the adaptation of cities due to seismic activity. Seeing as the bay area has so much seismic activity, it is a perfect place to conduct my research.I will be taking photos of locations that have shown signs of adaptation etc. I will also be conducting a questionnaire, which I need some reposes to. If any of you could help me out with some of the questions, by giving your response or just by sharing some opinions, that would be awesome. I don't particularly want you to fill in the questionnaire in full, I just want to hear some responses and opinions
The questions are.
1. How have you adapted to the threat of seismic activity?
2.Have you noticed San Francisco adaptation. Have you recognised a change in building design because of the needed adaptation of San Francisco infrastructure.
3.Do you have any experiences of seismic activity? What do you remember of the last most recent large Earthquake?
4.How do you feel about living in San Francisco, an area with such a large amount of seismic activity?
If you could give me ANY info, I would really appreciate it. Thankyou very much,
George.
(All credit for responses will also be noted at the end of my project
Also, I have been noted on some forums, that I cannot ask for responses to questionnaires, so I just want to state, If it is against forum rules, I will close it down straight away, Its just that in some areas of the forums, I think I remember seeing some polls and questionnaires before so I think this should be ok.
Many thanks, best regards,
George.
1
Since you signed up, you must have noticed the Community Guidelines:DON'T:
Conduct formal research without telling people. Lonely Planet is open to cooperation with professional researchers, but you need to contact us with details about your needs and interests. Studying our community members without their – and our – permission is not cool.
Don’t post external surveys or links to surveys on Thorn Tree. We are happy for you to use any information that is already available on our forum provided you contact us first, but as Thorn Tree is a space designed for individuals any research or marketing surveys will be removed.
2
Yes, I am not asking for responses to that survey though, that is the one which I will be giving to some locals I meet in San Francisco. I just want some information and opinions surrounding the issue of seismic activity in California. Sorry for wording it incorrectly. The survey I posted is the one which I will be handing out, I included it in the post so that people know what kind of information I am looking for.Once again, sorry, I did write. "I don't particularly want answers to the questionnaire".
4
I am sorry if that is how it sounds, I believe you know my true intent though. As stated above, "just want to hear some responses and opinions." Are responses and opinions surrounding the subjects brought up in the questionnaire I will be presenting to people I meet, against forum rules? If responses and opinions are against forum rules, then there is something seriously wrong.The questions were posted to give an idea into what info I am looking for. The quote "I don't want you to fill in the questionnaire" states that doesn't it. That quote you used supports my point exactly. DON'T want you to fill in the questionnaire. Seems quite the opposite to looking for people to complete my questionnaire. Once again, I am looking for opinions and views surrounding the topics brought up in the questionnaire. Adaptation for example. The questionnaire was made to hand out to San Francisco locals while I am there.
5
I am concerned that your study design seems a bit, er, "shaky."Your questions are very open-ended. They are going to take quite a bit of time for respondents. If I were asked to respond, I'd probably give up after the second or third one. If it were online, I'd probably take a look at it and say no thanks. Who is your target for this questionnaire and how will you find them and get them to fill it in?
I don't see "where do you live?" and "how long have you lived there?" on your list.
What are your objectives for this survey? Are you interested in what is happening in the Bay Area concurring seismic retrofit & panning for the next Big One? Or are you interested in people's personal feelings about earthquakes? How do you plan to analyze the data--it will be all anecdotal.
Much of what you are asking has already been done to death. For example. "What do you remember of the last most recent large Earthquake?" Just look in any newspaper archive for the last major earthquake.
I'd suggest that you contact earthquake specialists in California to see what they already have and to ask them, as experts, to help you design your questionnaire. Have you already checked out all these?
UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory
City of SF Earthquake Safety Implementation Program
Earthquakes fromt he Association of Bay Area Governments. Has lots of links as ot what cities are doing.
USGS Earthquake Program
California Earthquake Preparedness Survey
Earthquake Survey Data at UCLA Look at the questionnaires.
6
I am sorry if that is how it sounds, I believe you know my true intent though.
Once again:I don't particularly want you to fill in the questionnaire in full, I just want to hear some responses and opinions
Yes, your intents was to have us answer your questions, even if we didn't answer them "fully."The quote "I don't want you to fill in the questionnaire" states that doesn't it. That quote you used supports my point exactly.
Yes, if I chop the quote in half, it supports your position. If you use the complete quote, it is contrary to your supposed position. Leaving out the "in full" from the quote matters.DON'T want you to fill in the questionnaire.
"In full." So you're ok with partial, if that's what we decide to give.Once again, I am looking for opinions and views surrounding the topics brought up in the questionnaire.
I note you say "surrounding the topics," not the "questions." Now you are asking us to answer your survey, even if it's not the exact questions.A bit of advice:
1) Don't sign up for a forum without reading the rules.
2) Don't try to backpedal. Writing proves you wrong.
3) Figure out what you want. Do you want people to help form questions, or answer them? State it clearly at the outset.
4) Re-read #1.
7
If this is a topic that seriously interests you as an academic, I am sure you are aware that there is no city in the world that has more information, made more of an effort, passed more laws, and done more follow up on earthquakes and buildings, than San Francisco. Whatever it is that you want to know has been studied, recorded, and analyzed many times over. I guarantee that there is no original research that either needs to be done nor can be done by you. If you want information, go to the Building and Zoning Departments in San Francisco. They will overwhelm you with data, reports, photos, public input, and anything else you can imagine. They are public agencies and are very helpful.8
If you want information, go to the Building and Zoning Departments in San Francisco. They will overwhelm you with data, reports, photos, public input, and anything else you can imagine.
Earthquake Preparedness from the building Dept. See also my second link. #7 said it better than me--you may be trying to re-invent the wheel.
10
Given the completely unscientific nature of the questions, I have to assume this is for a secondary-school "research project."Who on earth is it addressed to? The most significant changes to the California Building Code were made in the early 70s. So, yes, anyone who has been in California that long will have noticed significant changes from the time when it was still possible to build with unreinforced masonry. Such old timers (among whom I number myself, if barely) will also, as a matter of course, a) have experienced many earthquakes, b) grown up with earthquake safety drills, and c) completely ceased to think about earthquakes except when they are actually happening.
On the other hand, fresh-off-the-bus newcomers from other parts of the US might actually still think about earthquakes, especially if they haven't experienced one yet. But such newbies are hardly going to be in a position to say anything meaningful about design modifications in California buildings, which in the past quarter century have been subtle and mostly invisible to the naked eye.
If you have a "Plan B" for your project, think about executing it. Perhaps just a photo gallery of seismic retrofitting of old buildings in the Bay Area minus the utterly inane survey.
11
Maybe first-year uni course? If you are indeed just looking for comments on the survey, then the answer is that it is just ridiculous, especially for San Francisco. Most residents of San Francisco would have the same response as nutrax - 'what, you've got to be kidding? Go away.'12
... I am sure you are aware that there is no city in the world that has more information, made more of an effort, passed more laws, and done more follow up on earthquakes and buildings, than San Francisco.Source for this? I would think some Japanese cities have done a fair bit as well - maybe more.
13
Hello,Thank you for providing me with some resources, that is really what I came to this site for. I really appreciate the links etc. As for the project, I am 17 and studying Geography at A Level, the homework task is only supposed to be a small one, it will not even be marked, we just have to show we have collected some data on a specific sector of seismic activity. I have chosen adaptation as my topic, the hopes are to collect some pictures of structures that have been reinforced and then also gain some peoples perspectives on adaption, how they have adapted and what are there specific procedures if an Earthquake arrives.
The reason why it lacks in some areas is because this is not a huge project, just merely one which will not take very long at all. It is simply for us to progress out data collection skills.
Also, I am sorry that I asked about completing the questionnaire in my original post, I understand it Is against forum rules now and wish to state that all I now look for is resources which will help me. Like those some have already posted.
Many thanks.
14
... we just have to show we have collected some data on a specific sector of seismic activity. I have chosen adaptation as my topic, the hopes are to collect some pictures of structures that have been reinforced and then also gain some peoples perspectives on adaption, how they have adapted and what are there specific procedures if an Earthquake arrives.Have you thought about looking at Christchurch New Zealand - arguably the most earthquake-sensitive semi-major city in the world currently ... they have had two big ones in the last two years, and are in the process of re-building.
