CONSORTIA/INSTITUTIONS
IRIS
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology IRIS IRIS Data Management Center: "http://www.iris.washington.edu/HTM/dms.htm" IRIS Headquarters: "http://www.iris.edu/" General Overview The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) is a consortium of 73 universities with research programs in seismology. The major source of funding for IRIS is the National Science Foundation. IRIS is composed of three principal programs. The Global Seismographic Network (GSN) is charged with deploying a new network of permanent stations distributed around the world. The Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) has developed a new line of portable seismographic recording systems that can be used for recording a wide variety of seismographic data, and the Data Management System (DMS) is charged with managing the data generated by the PASSCAL and GSN programs and to effectively distribute these data to the seismological community. The Global Seismographic Network: The GSN has developed two lines of standardized stations employing very-broadband (VBB) sensor technology. Network operating facilities are now in place at the U.S. Geological Survey Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory and the IRIS/IDA group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego. Through the US/USSR Joint Seismic Program, a cooperative effort of IRIS, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Institute of Physics of the Earth in Moscow, funded through the Air Force, at least 13 stations are to be established in the Soviet Union. IRIS operated this program because of its direct contribution to the goal of establishing near-uniform global coverage of digital seismic stations and its role in fostering new experiments in array and network seismology and data telemetry using state-of-the-art instrumentation. The Program for Array Studies: PASSCAL has developed a line of 6-channel, standardized, portable dataloggers to serve as the backbone of the national capability. The first of several planned Instrument Centers has been established at the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, and with 90 dataloggers now in place. The instruments have been used in a variety of experiments since the first delivery in August, 1989. Prototypes for a second line of compatible, less expensive 3-channel dataloggers have been ordered. These are expected to play a major role in experiments where number and density of sensors are critical, and support individual investigators and educational programs. The rapid deployment of PASSCAL instruments following the 17 October Loma Prieta Earthquake has emphasized the role of portable instruments in providing badly needed capabilities for dense deployment and rapid response within the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program. Field experiments during the past year have demonstrated the capability of these instruments in several very different applications: (1)Recording of offshore airgun shots in a crustal refraction profile; (2)Recording of teleseisms on a 1500 km array of 3-component stations; (3)Participation in teleseismic studies of crustal structure in Kenya; (4)Testing of a tight 2-D array for monitoring the propagation of high frequency regional phases; (5)Rapid response deployment of instruments for recording aftershocks of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Workstations for field support and data management of PASSCAL data have been developed, based on SUN hardware. These computers are incorporated routinely as an essential part of PASSCAL data acquisition programs. The formidable practical difficulties of managing portable instruments and data flow in the field have been greatly reduced by the standardization of hardware and software, and the existence of a central support organization. The Data Management System: The IRIS Data Management System manages data flow and data quality from the data Collection Centers (DCC) to the archive, followed by distribution to the scientific community. It consists of nodes for data collection at Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory and the University of California, San Diego and a central archive at the University of Texas, Austin. Through Internet, it extends to the data users and to European users via the ORFEUS data center in the Netherlands. The archive is unique in the world in its commitment to handling continuous data streams at 20 sps. It has been functional for over six months, and is now handling user requests in excess of the estimates made in a 1986 design study for the steady-state load on a fully implemented GSN. The DMS has also been designated as the first data center of the Federation of Digital Broadband Seismographic Networks, an international organization of countries that operate broadband recording stations. Through dial-up and telemetry facilities at certain GSN sites, the DMS downloads major event waveforms in near real-time, and provides this information to the community through the GOPHER software interface. Special datasets from important earthquakes and from field deployments of PASSCAL instruments have been compiled and are distributed upon request. The DMS is a focus for the support and distribution of application and utility software. Cooperating Agencies and Organizations: These programs have been carried out through the participation of a variety of agencies and research institutions, and of many individual scientists from the member Universities. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a partner with IRIS in the implementation of the GSN. IRIS members of the IRIS University network operate stations and networks in cooperation with the USGS U.S. National Network and the national Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. Internationally, IRIS is a member of the Federation of Digital Seismographic Networks, in which national programs for deployment of VBB digital instrumentation are coordinated. USGS provides earthquake information and digital data that complement the continuous data archive and distribution services of the IRIS DMS. The Eurasian Seismic Studies Program (ESSP) involves the cooperation of the USGS, the (Soviet) Institute of Physics of the Earth, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and a number of University participants. IRIS facilities are implemented through subcontract to Universities. At present, such efforts are in place at the University of California, San Diego, the University of Texas, Austin, Columbia University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Oversight and Management: Governance of IRIS is in the hands of Committee members from the research community, and management through a small staff with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Each member institution has one representative on the IRIS Board of Directors, which has legislative control of the Consortium. The Executive Committee, representing the Board of Directors, makes overall policy, and Program Standing Committees provide regular input by the research community into the operations of the programs. Contact: IRIS Incorporated Research Institution for Seismology 1200 New York Ave. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 webmaster@dmc.iris.washington.edu Access: "http://www.iris.edu/"