IRIS and Latin American Network Operators Meet in Chile

IRIS recently partnered with the Chilean National Seismic Network to host the workshop “National Geophysical Networks in Latin America: Best Practices, Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration” from May 25-29 in Santiago. This event marked the conclusion of the GRO-Chile (Global Reporting Geophysical Observatories in Chile) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award from the National Science Foundation, during which IRIS worked with the University of Chile to build 10 world-class geophysical observatories following the 2010 Maule earthquake. These stations served as a backbone and template for development of modern seismological monitoring throughout Chile.

The workshop brought together IRIS, Chilean National Seismic Network, US Geological Survey, and UNAVCO staff along with geophysical network operators from 15 other Latin American countries and other groups within Chile. These participants highlighted the status and operations of their networks, developing a framework for future scientific and technical cooperation and data exchange. IRIS, USGS, and UNAVCO staff discussed best practices for network operations, network quality assessment, and data handling. The USGS presented information on ShakeMap and W-Phase magnitude estimate methodologies, working with interested workshop participants on implementing these systems for their networks. Several members of the IRIS governance and International Development Seismology Standing Committee also attended the workshop and led breakout discussions.

Complete information from the workshop, including a list of participants and links to presentations, is available here: http://dev.iris.edu/hq/workshops/2015/05/national_geophysical_networks_in_latin_america.

David Simpson (standing), IRIS President Emeritus, delivers opening remarks.	Participants brought over 50 posters, leading to vibrant conversations during the break periods.