Modernization of the Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network - ARRA and Beyond
Abstract
The USGS/ANSS/ARRA program provided equipment and funding to upgrade the equipment and infrastructure of the Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN). The SCSN is a modern digital seismic network that provides real-time earthquake information products such as rapid notifications, moment tensors, and ShakeMap. ARRA funds were used to modernize 178 of 300 SCSN stations, upgrade telemetry hubs, and build a state-of-the-art microwave telemetry backbone. With these upgrades complete, we are taking the next step of upgrading the analog short-period stations to digital short-period stations and adding strong motion sensors to them. We also are installing NetQuakes strong motion instruments to fill gaps in our urban recording capability. The ARRA-funded upgrades allow the SCSN to meet the ANSS Performance Standards more consistently than before. The new equipment makes the SCSN stations more homogeneous, significantly boosts station uptimes, reduces maintenance costs, and improves waveform data quality. The new data-loggers send data with reduced delays, which is critical for earthquake early warning applications. Station data quality was checked before each upgrade allowing sensor and site problems to be found, so that they could be addressed and data quality could be improved during the upgrade site visit. Data quality checks also were performed during the upgrade work and station metadata was changed in real time as work progressed. Sensor orientations were checked at over 115 sites using an OCTANS gyro-compass and mis-orientations were documented and corrected. To further take advantage of the ARRA-supplied equipment, we have developed scripts to take advantage of features from the new Q330 data-loggers: automatic detection of out-of-range mass positions with automatic recentering, and automatic data requests to fill data gaps. We also expanded the features and extended the utility of our Station Information System (SIS).
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AGUFM.S51A2194T
- Keywords:
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- 7200 SEISMOLOGY;
- 7212 SEISMOLOGY / Earthquake ground motions and engineering seismology;
- 7294 SEISMOLOGY / Seismic instruments and networks