It was based on the experiences being available in the early 1960s from the application of the Modified Mercalli intensity scale and the 1953 version of the Medvedev scale, known also as the GEOFIAN scale.
The system was developed using data from the Modified Mercalli intensity scale and the 1953 version of the Medvedev scale, which is now referred to as the GEOFIAN scale, available in the early 1960s.