A Mobile Application-Based Data Collection Framework to Enhance the Seismic Performance of Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings

The seismic assessment of existing building stock, particularly in megacities such as Istanbul, is constrained by insufficient data and the time-intensive nature of data collection. This bottleneck persists despite the prevalence of aging structures that no longer comply with current seismic design codes. This paper proposes a mobile application–based framework for collecting building data to improve seismic performance and strengthen public awareness. The framework comprises six sequential steps—seismic hazard and casualties, building risk prioritization, damage evaluation, rapid/preliminary assessment, detailed assessment, and project planning—and provides progressively more accurate information as more data are collected. A mobile application was developed to test the framework and has been downloaded more than 8,000 times. Across Steps 1–5, a total of 3381, 393, 2, 5 and 2 reports were generated. Application of the methodology to sample buildings showed that 87% of the structures fell within the expected performance range, while the remainder exhibited better-than-predicted performance.