Community Workshop: COCONet - Results, Sustainability, and Capacity Building

Unavco, Inc., Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

1634055 Mattioli This grant supports a scientific workshop to be held in May 2016. NSF Geosciences previously supported the design, construction and initial operations of COCONet (Continuously Operating Caribbean GPS Observational Network) to promote advances in in tectonic and weather hazards research in the pan-Caribbean region (EAR-1042906). COCOnet development represents a partnership with 28 sovereign nation and 41 distinct administrative entities in the circum-Caribbean region. A network of over 80 continuously operating Global Positioning System and meteorological observation stations (GPS/Met) that were procured and deployed or refurbished with support from the COCONet construction awards is now nearly complete. In addition, the managing institution, UNAVCO, was able to negotiate with Caribbean partners for the ingestion of an additional 62 GPS data streams engaging Caribbean country regional data centers in the process. All data are publically accessible via the UNAVCO Data archive. Most recently over 80% of all COCONet sites were delivering data to the UNAVCO archive and 45 of those stations deliver in near real time and at high rate (1 Hz). The COCONet data support: 1) constraints on the tectonics of the entire Caribbean region; 2) the enhancement of atmospheric observations that can be used to test and extend climate models; 3) improvement of the analysis of local geodetic measurements by providing access to an integrated backbone of reference stations; and 4) improved likelihood of forecasting natural hazards that pose such a significant threat to the region. The focus of the workshop presentations and discussions will be on the scientific results, current status and operational requirements, identification of possible pathways to sustain operations into the future, and international capacity building opportunities afforded by the COCONet GPS/Met network. The proposed workshop will bring together scientists, government agency and emergency management officials to discuss the scientific achievements and operational success of COCONet to date, this will include scientists and students from several Caribbean region countries including representatives that are now in charge of established regional COCONet data centers. The workshop will address issues such as hardware and software standardization and will have focused talks highlighting regional partner experiences on the status of the network in their country and how they are planning to maintain and operate COCONet systems. Regional Data Center (RDC) directors from Colombia, Nicaragua, and Barbados will present the status of the data centers in their country and ideas about how to maintain these regional centers for the long-term. The workshop will engage student participation from Caribbean and U.S. academic institutions. This grant is made with support from multiple Programs in the Geosciences Directorate and the Office of International Science and Engineering. This support is congruent with NSFs mission of promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health, prosperity and welfare given the importance of advancing understanding of geohazards that routinely impact the interests of the U.S. as well the training of students in geoscience research and research methods with potential downstream workforce benefits to earth science, meteorology, engineering and emergency management sectors.