Electronic Encyclopedia of Earthquakes

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is expanding a pilot version of the web-based Electronic Encyclopedia of Earthquakes (E^3) into a major collection under the auspices of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE), and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). E^3 provides a portal for students, educators, and others seeking information about the science of earthquakes, earthquake engineering, and the practical aspects of hazard characterization and loss reduction. Access to a wide variety of teaching materials is enabled, along with curricular linkages to interfaces to many types of archived and real-time databases, including data from global and regional seismic networks, national seismic hazard maps, and elastic and inelastic response histories of structures exposed to real or simulated (e.g. shake table) earthquakes. The collection facilitates the use of large data sets as part of an on-line learning environment that encourages and facilitates inquiry and exploration. Furthermore, E^3 is informed by the National Science Education Standards content recommendations for grades 5-8 and 9-12. As an entry-based collection built on three tiers of content: (1) Glossary & Outline, (2) Synopsis, and (3) Content In Depth and Curricular Connections, E^3 promotes a user's ability to access knowledge on a simple level quickly or probe deeper for more detailed information. Three types of search interfaces will be included: keyword search, controlled vocabulary, and map-based. Important co-funding of this project is being provided by the Division of Earth Sciences in NSF's Geosciences Directorate.