A Multi-Discipline Approach to Digitizing Historic Seismograms

A large body of historic paper- and film-based seismograms are in storage, containing within them significant stores of seismological information. This information is unavailable for analysis because it needs to be extracted from its analog form and put into modern digital formats. National security needs in nuclear non-proliferation, earthquake modeling, and oil and gas extraction will all benefit by creating a means by which this digital information can be accurately and inexpensively extracted. The problem of large scale seismogram digitization is being addressed by assembling a talented interdisciplinary team of researchers in the fields of image analysis, seismology, signal processing, complex science, and computer science. Our approach merges a broad range of techniques and expertise, combining them by developing and deploying a web-based analytic package. Our Phase I work demonstrated that seismic trace coordinates could be extracted using a variety of numerical and complexity-based processes. Moreover, by leveraging our Phase I funding with additional state funding, we were able to include new researchers and techniques whose work went beyond the scope of our initial Phase I proposal. Phase II will develop and deploy a web-based browser platform that will serve as a common structure under which all methodologies applied to the problem can interact in a single location. The goal is to then deploy this software platform for general users in the scientific and research community. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Public benefits include national security enhancement by adding to the methods for detecting clandestine nuclear explosions, climate change modeling, and enhancement of geophysical modeling and earthquake prediction science.