ITR/AP: The SCEC Community Modeling Environment: An Information Infrastructure for System-Level Earthquake Research

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

0122464 Jordan It is now possible, because of recent advances in geophysics, to create for the first time, fully three-dimensional simulations of earthquake fault-rupture and fault-system dynamics. Such physics-based simulations are crucial to gaining a fundamental understanding of earthquake phenomena, and they can potentially provide enormous practical benefits for assessing and mitigating earthquake risks through improvements in seismic hazard analysis. The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) has embarked on an ambitious program to develop physics-based models of earthquake processes and integrate these models into a new scientific framework for seismic hazard analysis and risk management. This project involves a collaboration among SCEC, the Information Sciences Institute (ISI), the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), the Incorporated Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a "Community Modeling Environment", which will function as a virtual collaboratory for the purposes of knowledge quantification and synthesis, hypothesis formulation and testing, data assimilation and conciliation, and prediction. To achieve its objectives, the environment must provide a means for describing, configuring, initiating, and executing complex computational pathways that result from the composition of various earthquake simulation models. This entails solving a number of challenging problems in information technology. To solve these problems, the principal investigators will draw on several distinct computer science disciplines: 1) Knowledge representation and reasoning techniques; 2) Grid technologies; 3) Digital library technology; and 4) Interactive knowledge acquisition techniques. A central element of this project will be a Knowledge Transfer, Education and Outreach program with four primary goals: 1) to transfer the technology developed under this project to the end users of earthquake information, including engineers, emergency managers, decision makers, and the general public; 2) to cross-educate advanced students in the fields of geoscience and computer-science; 3) to make the general public aware of the benefits of applying advanced information technology to the problems of earthquake risk; and 4) to use public interest in earthquake information to attract beginning students into geoscience and computer science. A specific objective will be to engage young Hispanic Americans in the intellectual challenges of earthquake information technology. ***