GEOFON Software

SeisComP® 3

The operation of the GEOFON network and data center (archive and earthquake service) is almost completely based on the self-developed SeisComP® software package. It was developed over more than the last 10 years and has become a widely used package for seismological data acquisition, data processing and data exchange. Its data transmission protocol SeedLink became a de facto world-wide standard, the data archive access protocol ArcLink is on a good way to become one as well. Major recent infrastructural developments in European seismology as VEBSN (Virtual European Broadband Seismological Network) and EIDA (European Integrated Data Archive) could be achieved by further developing and spreading SeisComP throughout Europe in a series of EC/EU projects (MEREDIAN, NERIES, NERA, coordinated by ORFEUS). In the context of the GITEWS (German Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System) project, initiated after the disastrous Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, additional functionality was implemented to fullﬁll the requirements of 24/7 early warning control centers. Major changes in the software architecture were necessary, and many new features required a complete re-design of SeisComP resulting in a new highly professional package named SeisComP® 3 (SC3).

SeisComP® 3 provides now the following features:

real-time data acquisition (SeedLink) directly from most digitizers
real-time data exchange with other data centres by SeedLink or other common data exchange protocols
network status monitoring
waveform data quality control assessment
waveform data archival, management of long-term archives, access to remote ArcLink nodes
meta data handling (inventory, routing, QC, event parameters/QuakeML)
waveform archive data distribution (ArcLink), management of virtual ArcLink archives
meta data distribution (dataless SEED, XML)
automatic picking, event location, amplitudes and magnitudes calculation
interactive event definition, location and quantification
messaging system connecting individual SC3 modules locally or remotely with each other and a central database
import/export of pick/origin/event information from/to external SC3 systems
exceptional graphics designed for rapid processing review in situation room applications

In 2008, GFZ out-sourced a small software company called GEMPA GmbH where the main developers offer all kinds of services around the SeisComP® 3 software. GEOFON still drives and coordinates SeisComP 3 developments, but meanwhile several other sponsors have also contributed to it. The SeisComP® 3 software is not available directly from this web page, but you can obtain it from http://www.seiscomp3.org/ (maintained by GEOFON together with GEMPA and the SeisComP 3 community) together with additional information and documentation.