STC Review of the Disaster SBA

Responses related to ST-09-01b

Task DI-09-01: Systematic Monitoring for Geohazards Risk Assessment
Sub-Task: DI-09-01b: Seismographic Networks Improvement and Coordination
Point of Contact: George Choy

1. What S&T issues are relevant for the Task?

   Integrating of existing national or regional activities at global level.

   Justifying the effort to achieve rapid and, ideally, real-time access to data at all levels from regional to global by developing tools to utilize the data in near real-time to mitigate disasters, as well as in research mode to parameterize and quantify causes and effects of earthquakes and related geological disasters.

   Ultimately, translating the resulting of the physical mechanisms of disasters into useful mitigation (e.g., building codes) or preventive (e.g., warning systems) measures.

2. What S&T activities are currently carried out in the frame of the Task, and what scientific and/or technological components and/or developments are being used to complete this task?

   International organizations such as the FDSN (International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks) and the GSN (Global Seismographic Network) aare working to standardize installation, operation and maintenance techniques for the major networks.

   Increasing the number of stations that can send real time data, especially those in locations where there is a gap in coverage, both on continents and oceans.

   Continued development of software to improve product dissemination and the quality of information delivered. For earthquakes, the effort is to augment the traditional delivery of an epicentral location and magnitude with information

3. Does the Task Team have sufficient expertise to complete the task? If not, what is missing?

    

4. Does the Task Team have sufficient resources to complete this task (resources can be defined as funding, data, in-kind support, or any other element)?

   Information sharing has long been a tradition in seismology, giving rise to a mutual interest that has thus far facilitated interchange and interoperability of seismological data. Additional synergies may be harder to accomplish as individual agencies may have to formulate the authority to fund and pursue missions outside their original purview.

5. What relevant S&T issues should be addressed but are currently not covered by the Task? In particular, do you see any scientific or technological barriers or science and technology gaps that might prevent you from completing this task within the Work Plan time frame?

    

6. Are there any issues with sustained operation/continuity (e.g., of sensors, observation, data archives, modeling, etc) that should be addressed in the frame of your tasks or in support of your task? Is there any help from ST-09-02 your Task would like to facilitate in order to promote a transition from research to more sustained operation?

    

7. How would you prioritize the science or technology issues relevant for your task?

   Some disasters such as earthquakes remain beyond the foreseeable ability to predict. But once the size and location of an earthquake is known, the impact of secondary consequences such as potential fatalities, building vulnerability, landslide triggering and tsunami generation are estimable through research and mathematical modeling. The goal of minimizing fatalities and destruction is attainable and of the highest priority.

8. What linkages exist between your Task and other Disaster Tasks?

   Delivered information about earthquakes has evolved from providing simple information about the earthquake source into disseminating rapid estimates of the impact of an earthquake on the local population. To estimate these impacts, building vulnerabilities, population distributions and geological characteristics have been catalogued. These catalogs may find utility in handling other disasters such as fires, landslides and tsunamis.

9. What cross-cutting issues are most relevant for the Task and how are these addressed?

    

10. Does your Task draw on other activities inside or outside GEOSS?

     

11. What additional resources could be leveraged (existing and new) to complete this task?

     

12. Could your Task be used as a “compelling example” of how GEO and GEOSS works for science and technology communities? If so, who would be the contact person between Task ST-09-02 and your Task to develop the documentation of the example?

    Of interest to the STC may be the Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project being conducted by the USGS in which multidisciplinary experts develop a hypothetical tsunamigenic earthquake scenario, followed by the development of a disaster response by a suite of governmental and civilian agencies. This approach enables multidisciplinary progress in research fields as diverse as earthquake physics and disaster economics.

13. What other circumstances are relevant for the completion of the Task?