Taiwan Earthquake Research Center Instrument Service

Chin-Jen Lin Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica

doi: 10.30067/TECNL.202206_1(1).0005
(中文版)

Abstract

  The Taiwan Earthquake Research Center studies seismogenic and rupture processes, engaging in precise monitoring and measurement of deformation across the entire island of Taiwan. The center also acts as a platform for advanced research e.g., the Taiwan Earthquake Model, Earthquake Early Warning, Earthquake Precursor, and the ground motion simulation of the metropolitan city. To provide technical support for this research, an instrument center supported by the National Science Council (now the Ministry of Science and Technology) was established in 2006 and is operated by the Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica. The instrument center contains several state-of-the-art portable broadband seismographs, continuous global navigation satellite system tracking equipment, and advanced data processing and database management tools to assist scientists in acquiring and archiving seismic information. Furthermore, the facility provides experts for consulting, installation, data archival and other services. An Instrument Advisory Committee made up of impartial members from the TEC Executive Committee along with any interested university representatives is designed to make policies, approve requests, and maintain community oversight.

Inventory

  To follow the model of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Portable Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) Instrument Center, the world’s largest academic pool of seismological research instrumentation, the Taiwan Earthquake Research Center Instrument Pool (TECIP) funded by the Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Development, National Science Council (now the Ministry of Science and Technology) was established in 2006. The TECIP continues to expand its inventory every year. As of 2021/12, the inventory in service consists of 108 continuous global navigation satellite system (GNSS) tracking instruments, 114 seismic data loggers, 49 broadband seismometers, 61 short-period geophones, 52 digital seismometers (data loggers and sensors), 100 dense array seismometers, one gyrocompass, a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) transmission system, Antelope data processing software, and a calibration facility (Table 1).

Table 1、TECIP instrument inventory (as of 2021/12)。

Instrument Use Policy

  The seismic instruments purchased by the TECIP are available to any research or educational institution to use for research purposes within the guidelines established in this document. An Instrument Advisory Committee of impartial members from the TEC Executive Committee along with any interested university representatives is designed to make policies, approve requests, and maintain community oversight. According to the TECIP regulations, the duration of an instrument loan for an experiment is limited to two years. Special requests for longer duration of an instrument loan is possible and need to be discussed by TEC Executive Committee. The TEC Data Center (TECDC) will make the data available only to the principal investigator (PI) or designated representative(s) for a period of up to two years after the completion of the experiment. The instrument request needs to be submitted by no later than the end of July. The TEC will publish the schedule no later than the end of October as soon as the committee recommendations are completed. Once the experiment has been scheduled, the PI will be contacted to work out the details about the exact type of equipment requested. Subject to equipment availability (so as not to interfere with previously approved experiments), instrument requests can also be made at any time during the year, and they will be made available to users as the schedule permits.

  The efficient use of the instruments will require close cooperation among all of the parties involved. The principal investigator is encouraged to contact the TECIP manager about any planned experiment during the proposal development stage in order to determine if there would be any problems in operating the equipment in the environment required for the experiment. It is also important for everyone to know of possible scheduling conflicts as early as possible. Open communications will allow the development of alternative plans early in the scheduling process.

  The TECIP has set up three websites: one for online instrument requests https://tec.earth.sinica.edu.tw/instrumentapply/, one to introduce a variety of instruments https://www.elab.earth.sinica.edu.tw/tecip, and a data archive at the Taiwan Archive Platform for Seismology (TAPS), developed and managed by Taiwan Earthquake Research Data Center (TECDC) https://taps.earth.sinica.edu.tw/zh-TW/. (See Figures 1 to 3.)

  The initial request should be submitted to the TEC via forms on the TECIP website and must include the following information:

1. A short description of the experiment to be conducted, including any unusual field conditions that may be encountered;
2. The location of the experiment (latitude and longitude, as well as an estimate of the aerial extent);
3. Dates that the equipment will be shipped from and returned to the TECIP, including additional information on any circumstances that may make it impossible to shift the dates forward or backward;
4. The types and number of pieces of equipment requested for the experiment;
5. An estimate of the amount of data to be gathered and archived;
6. A notification of any special support that may be required;
7. The name of the funding agency and status of the funding support; and
8. A mailing address, email address, and telephone and fax numbers for the designated contact person for this experiment.

fig1. TECIP instrument request website

fig2. TECIP instrument introduction website

fig3. TAPS data archive website

  All PIs are required to submit two reports for each instrument request. The Installation Report must be submitted via the instrument request website within two months after the fieldwork has been completed. The Experiment Report must be submitted via the instrument request website within 3 months after the demobilization date. The Installation Report summarizes the field portion of the experiment. The Experiment Report should contain enough information that a researcher who is unfamiliar with the project can scan the report and determine whether or not the data would be useful to them. Although specific requirements for the format of the report do not exist, all reports submitted should include:

1. The name and institutions of the Principal Investigators;
2. The experiment name and abbreviation;
3. A paragraph describing the purpose of the experiment;
4. A description of the layout and execution of the experiment;
5. Details of any unusual situations encountered during project mobilization (changing locations, missing GPS timing, etc.);
6. A description of any problems encountered with either the hardware or the software furnished by the TECIP program;
7. Recommendations for further improvements of the facility; and
8. Maps and other figures, which are welcomed and encouraged but not required.

Data Delivery Policy

  The delivery of data collected by the PI using the TEC equipment and associated metadata to the TECDC is an obligation of the PI. Abiding by this data policy ensures the continued contribution of the TECIP facility to seismological studies. Failure to complete this requirement not only deprives the community of a valuable data resource, but also may jeopardize future requests to borrow TEC equipment. The TECDC will make the data available only to the PIs and their designated representative(s) for a period of up to two years after the completion of the experiment. The PI can waive this period of exclusive access. After the prescribed moratorium, the data will be made freely and openly available to TEC members.

  If you are using equipment from the TECIP facility for strictly educational training on the instrumentation and are not using the equipment to pursue a scientific target, TECIP management may grant an exemption from the data distribution policy if there is no useful information to be shared among the seismological community. There may be other needs for exemptions, including complete failure of the experiment to capture data or failure to capture useable data, and these will be granted on an as-needed basis.