← Back to Sessions

Retrospective of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center Strategic Plan, 2019-23: How We Did and Future Directions

Description: 

The USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) monitors earthquakes 24/7/365 worldwide and reports on US earthquakes cooperatively with US Regional Seismic Networks (RSNs) as part of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). In 2019, following the international Powell Center Working Group for Earthquake Monitoring, the NEIC published a 5-year strategic plan. We will present the successes and challenges in meeting the plan’s fundamental and aspirational goals and discuss planned future advancements. We seek to input from the community on areas to prioritize for future strategic planning.

Accomplishments from NEIC’s fundamental goals include improved earthquake detection with a new Global Associator algorithm, phase-picker and improved interoperability and coordination with RSNs through site visits and tabletop exercises. Advancements to NEIC’s infrastructure include expanded redundancy, migration to a service-oriented architecture, web-centric Graphical User Interfaces, and using cloud technologies. ShakeMap ground motion calculations and PAGER estimates of earthquake fatalities and economic loss have been improved by expanding scenario capabilities and redesigning the code to be more modular to support cloud technologies. The ANSS Comprehensive Catalog (ComCat) now includes more historical earthquakes and automatic quality control tools. The challenges faced during COVID slowed progress in some areas but motivated improvements in NEIC’s remote and automatic processing capabilities. Realized NEIC’s aspirational goals include the implementation of machine learning phase identification and timing, improved rupture modeling using remote sensing data (GNSS, optical imagery, and InSAR), implementation of a sequence-based web interface that links mainshocks and aftershocks, and advanced modeling of earthquake impacts through the incorporation of ground truth loss information. Future work will expand on these topics and focus on greater automation of real-time solutions and catalog generation using machine learning and array processing.

Session: Network Seismology: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned - I

Type: Oral

Date: 5/1/2024

Presentation Time: 03:00 PM (local time)

Presenting Author: Paul

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Authors