The IRISDMC archives waveform (time-series) data from stations around the world. The following information highlights passive and active source data available through the DMC.
Time-series data is collected for many types of data, identified using a system of channel codes.
Passive Source
Most of the data archived at the DMC is from broad-band stations recording passive (or natural) source events. Some stations record continuously, some have triggered channels. Most of the passive source data are from permanent station installations and are archived in SEED format, but some data come to us from temporary installations and in formats other than SEED.
The wavelength, λ, is the distance over which the waveform repeats itself. The period, T, of the wave can be defined as the time between the passage of successive crests, or equivalently, as the time required for the waveform to advance through a distance λ. Since the waveform moves at speed v, it advances a distance vT in time T. Waveform The shape or the representation of a signal, e.g., in cardiology, the shape of the electrical shock used in cardioversion or defibrillation. A waveform is a representation of how alternating current (AC) varies with time. The most familiar AC waveform is the sine wave, which derives its name from the fact that the current or voltage varies with the sine of the elapsed time. Other common AC waveforms are the square wave, the ramp, the sawtooth wave, and the triangular wave. In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time. In electronics, the term is usually applied to periodically varying voltages, currents, or electromagnetic fields.
Active Source
Active source refers to the creation of seismic events using explosives or mechanical devices like air guns, from either experiments on land or while underway on properly equipped research ships.
Much of the active source data at the DMC is recorded using temporary deployments of instruments provided by the PASSCAL program, but we do have some active source data from other sources. Active source data can come in a variety of formats.
- Information about temporary deployments (including PASSCAL experiments)
Waveform Request Tools
IRIS provides a variety of Web Tools for requesting waveform data.
Request Waveform Data Using BREQ_FAST
Batch access to the IRISDMC archive can be obtained by electronically mailing a specially formatted file to the IRISDMC in Seattle. These are BREQ_FAST files and provide a base level access to the DMC needed by any user. Learn how to submit a BREQ_FAST Request »
WebRequest – An easy way to submit a request for data
WebRequest is a data request form that allows users to submit BREQ_FAST-formatted data requests to the DMC. Submit a WebRequest »
SOD – Standing Order for Data
SOD is a program that automates tedious data selection, downloading, and routine processing tasks in seismology. It allows you to define your desired data based on earthquakes, recording stations, and the resulting combination of information. SOD then retrieves the data that matches the criteria. Nethack: legacy. Learn more about SOD »
JWEED
Using JWEED a person can obtain waveforms from any institution which has implemented DHI servers. JWEED now utilizes Web Mapping Services (WMS) for displaying maps. Learn more about JWEED »
Waveform Data Formats
SEED (Standard for the Exchange of Earthquake Data) format
SEED is an international standard format for the exchange of digital seismological data. SEED was designed for use by the earthquake research community, primarily for the exchange between institutions of unprocessed earth motion data. It is a format for digital data measured at one point in space and at equal intervals of time.
SEED helps seismologists who record, share, and use seismological data. By providing a standard, SEED makes transmitting, receiving, and processing earthquake data easier and more accurate. Before the introduction of SEED, ease and accuracy had been goals, but not really attained.
- More on SEED.
- The miniSEED format is described here.
- The dataless SEED format for metadata is described here.
Passive Source
Most of the data archived at the DMC is from broad-band stations recording passive (or natural) source events. Some stations record continuously, some have triggered channels. Most of the passive source data are from permanent station installations and are archived in SEED format, but some data come to us from temporary installations and in formats other than SEED.
The wavelength, λ, is the distance over which the waveform repeats itself. The period, T, of the wave can be defined as the time between the passage of successive crests, or equivalently, as the time required for the waveform to advance through a distance λ. Since the waveform moves at speed v, it advances a distance vT in time T. Waveform The shape or the representation of a signal, e.g., in cardiology, the shape of the electrical shock used in cardioversion or defibrillation. A waveform is a representation of how alternating current (AC) varies with time. The most familiar AC waveform is the sine wave, which derives its name from the fact that the current or voltage varies with the sine of the elapsed time. Other common AC waveforms are the square wave, the ramp, the sawtooth wave, and the triangular wave. In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time. In electronics, the term is usually applied to periodically varying voltages, currents, or electromagnetic fields.
Active Source
Active source refers to the creation of seismic events using explosives or mechanical devices like air guns, from either experiments on land or while underway on properly equipped research ships.
Much of the active source data at the DMC is recorded using temporary deployments of instruments provided by the PASSCAL program, but we do have some active source data from other sources. Active source data can come in a variety of formats.
- Information about temporary deployments (including PASSCAL experiments)
Waveform Request Tools
IRIS provides a variety of Web Tools for requesting waveform data.
Request Waveform Data Using BREQ_FAST
Batch access to the IRISDMC archive can be obtained by electronically mailing a specially formatted file to the IRISDMC in Seattle. These are BREQ_FAST files and provide a base level access to the DMC needed by any user. Learn how to submit a BREQ_FAST Request »
WebRequest – An easy way to submit a request for data
WebRequest is a data request form that allows users to submit BREQ_FAST-formatted data requests to the DMC. Submit a WebRequest »
SOD – Standing Order for Data
SOD is a program that automates tedious data selection, downloading, and routine processing tasks in seismology. It allows you to define your desired data based on earthquakes, recording stations, and the resulting combination of information. SOD then retrieves the data that matches the criteria. Nethack: legacy. Learn more about SOD »
JWEED
Using JWEED a person can obtain waveforms from any institution which has implemented DHI servers. JWEED now utilizes Web Mapping Services (WMS) for displaying maps. Learn more about JWEED »
Waveform Data Formats
SEED (Standard for the Exchange of Earthquake Data) format
SEED is an international standard format for the exchange of digital seismological data. SEED was designed for use by the earthquake research community, primarily for the exchange between institutions of unprocessed earth motion data. It is a format for digital data measured at one point in space and at equal intervals of time.
SEED helps seismologists who record, share, and use seismological data. By providing a standard, SEED makes transmitting, receiving, and processing earthquake data easier and more accurate. Before the introduction of SEED, ease and accuracy had been goals, but not really attained.
- More on SEED.
- The miniSEED format is described here.
- The dataless SEED format for metadata is described here.
Simple ASCII format
Simple ASCII is a text column representation timeseries data that IRISDMC now provides. This representation makes it very simple to import into other utilities such as spreadsheets and mathematical analysis programs. More information on the Simple ASCII format »
SAC (Seismic Analysis Code) format
Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Download
The SAC format comes in fixed binary and ASCII forms and is read by the SAC analysis utility: A general purpose interactive program designed for the study of sequential signals, especially time series data. More information on SAC »
Assembled Data
Waveform Visualizer
The IRISDMC distributes several pre-assembled data sets. Most of these data sets are from temporary deployments and in formats other than SEED. An assembled set is accompanied by a data report. We have assembled data from various sources including IRISPASSCAL (mostly active source), the USGS, and others.