Seismic Source Facility Advisory Committee

Current Members

Preamble to Advisory Committee Charge

In its current implementation the Seismic Source Facility (SSF) operated at the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) is funded by IRIS to:

• Provide consulting services to PIs who are planning, proposing, or executing active source experiments.
• Provide training to grow the community knowledge for executing active source seismic source experiments.
• Procure an annual liability insurance policy (as this is otherwise hard to obtain on an experiment-by-experiment basis).

Under the current model, there is NO funding through IRIS for the actual execution of seismic source experiments. That is, funding for activities required to execute explosive sources, such as permitting, drilling, loading, and shooting, flows directly to UTEP via proposals to be co-PI’s on specific experiments.

The IRIS community would like to move towards a model where funding for these sourcerelated activities can flow through IRIS, via supplemental proposals, allowing community and management oversight of the facility operation, cost recovery for work performed by the SSF for active source experiments and making active source experiments more readily available to all PIs, regardless of their past experience. This model of SSF implementation has been proposed as part of SAGE-II evolution.

To guide the present and future implementation of the SSF, a community-based SSF Advisory Committee is established with the following charge.

Committee Charge

The Seismic Source Facility (SSF) Advisory Committee (AC) will advise the PASSCAL standing committee (PASC) and to the IRIS Portable Program manager, in coordination with the SSF operator, on the operation and activities of the SSF. A key goal of the AC is to provide a strategic vision and priorities for the SSF to be implemented by the IRIS Portable Program manager and the PASC. In addition, the AC will work with governance, management and the SSF to enhance and develop outreach around the capabilities of active source seismology, and to expand the pool of science PI’s who have the knowledge necessary to execute controlled/active source experiments. This group will provide community oversight on any implementation of direct IRIS funding for explosive source experiments.

This AC is charged by the Board of Directors to:

1. Work with the community and IRIS management to develop a strategic vision for the SSF.
2. Prioritize facility capabilities and tasking to provide guidance to IRIS management in scope management
3. Assist IRIS management in the evolution of the SSF to a supplementary cost recovery model.
4. Aid in the review and development of policies on facility use.
5. Advise on issues concerning PI roles and responsibilities during the planning and execution of controlled source experiments.
6. Review safety documentation and practices and assist in developing hazard mitigation strategies for users of the SSF.
7. Assist in the establishment of proposal estimation guidelines for supplemental proposal development.
8. Advise Portable Program Manager on the capability requirements for other nonexplosive controlled sources and technology (e.g., hammers, switches, timers, PEGs, betsy’s, etc.) within the SSF.
9. Advise the IRIS Portable Program Manager on program planning and annual budgets.