Element: Data: HDR: Enabling data interoperability for NSF archives of high-rate real-time GPS and seismic observations of induced earthquakes and structural damage detection in OK

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK

Investigators

Abstract

Recent studies have identified critical differences between earthquakes induced by wastewater injection in tectonically passive regions of oil and gas exploration (such as earthquakes recently experienced in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas) and earthquakes in tectonically active environments (such as fault zones in California). This has significant implications for earthquake engineering in the Midwest, where the building inventory was not designed to withstand large earthquakes or cumulative damage due to successive earthquakes. Estimating the level of ground shaking at different frequencies is needed to calculate structural response, understand which structures run higher risks of earthquake damage, and establish criteria for building design and real-time decision making. This project uses recent breakthroughs in real-time GPS data analysis to address challenges limiting the use of real-time GPS and seismic data by the geoscience and engineering communities. The effort develops new capabilities to handle data streams in a manner that is independent of the content and formats of the environmental sensor measurements. Creating these links will have a substantial impact on interoperability among the geodesy, seismology, and earthquake engineering research communities. The project demonstrates the approach using multi-sensor geoscience and engineering datasets recorded on structures on the Oklahoma State University campus and in the field near the location of the September 2016 Pawnee earthquake. The effort creates new methods for capturing permanent deformation in structures, and a better understanding of building inventory resiliency. This award by the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure is jointly supported by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.