This proposal requests UITS support to extend the capabilities of a newly developed seismograph network for the state of Indiana. The proposed project represents a supplement to ongoing, externally funding projects already in progress.

Specifically, we propose to improve the performance of this network by 1) using digital spread-spectrum radio modems to permit digital data transmission from remote seismograph locations to centralized recording facilities, and 2) developing a real-time display of seismic data from our base station at the Bloomington Geology Building.

The heart of this new seismic network is equipment deployed presently in area high schools as part of a national science outreach program called the Princeton Earth Physics Program (PEPP). The PEPP program provided the initial capital support for this network by supplying seismic equipment to 19 area high schools in Indiana (15), Illinois (2), and Ohio (2). The system we are proposing to develop will bring data from these school via the internet to a central recording system in the Geological Sciences Department, where they will be archived and processed in near real-time to produce a catalog of seismic events within Indiana and surrounding states.

This proposal seeks to solve a residual technical problem: that although schools provide convenient access to the Internet, they are by no means ideal locations for seismic data recording. Vehicle and human traffic all generate background noise that limits the utility of the data we collect. Spread-spectrum radio modems provide a reliable and cost-effective mechanism for transmitting digital data from remote seismic recording sites to an Internet node. We propose to undertake a proof-of-concept experiment using this technology in two new ways: 1) using PEPP equipment with the 3sensor package at a remote site with a clear transmission path to one of our participating high schools, and 2) developing a first-rate regional base station based on more sophisticated equipment currently operating in the Geology building by moving the sensor to a more remote site away from the traffic noise associated with the city of Bloomington.

Finally, we propose to return data back to area high schools participating in the program for educational exercises based on these data using an internet-based recording system. We ask UITS support for hardware (a low-end workstation for recording and displaying of the networked seismic data) and technical support for improving network performance (site-to-site computer communication via radio-telemetered PPP links and internet transmission and recording of seismic data). We believe that this project will have important applications to the University's primary missions of research, teaching, and public outreach.