IAG-IASPEI 2017

Presentation information

Oral

IASPEI Symposia » S05. Preservation and usage of analog seismogram archives

[S05-1] Preservation and usage of analog seismogram archives I

Fri. Aug 4, 2017 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Room 403 (Kobe International Conference Center 4F, Room 403)

Chairs: Emile Okal (Northwestern University) , Paul Richards (Columbia University, New York)

8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

[S05-1-02] Twenty-five years of activity of the ESC Working groups devoted to the preservation of the tangible and intangible heritage of Euro-Mediterranean seismology

Graziano Ferrari (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy)

invited

At the beginning of 1990 the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica started promoting the TROMOS project devoted to the research, recovery, restoration and enhancement of the historical heritage of seismology in Italy. The project was not confined to strictly seismological disciplines, embracing as the history of science, scientific instruments and technology.
In 1992, with the establishment of the ESC WG “History of seismometry" (HoS) the experience of Tromos was extended to the whole European area. The activity of the WG has increased the awareness of the importance of the tangible heritage of instrumental seismology (seismograms, bulletins, manuscripts, etc); as a consequence, in 1997 a first census of Euro-Mediterranean historical seismic stations and the relevant instruments, was published.
As an evolution of the HoS, in 2002 a new ESC WG “History and data of instrumental seismology" (HDIS) was established, and a collaborative project EuroSeismos was launched in the WG's framework.
The experience and the technologies of SISMOS of INGV in Rome have allowed to broaden the “user base" of the project to the whole Euro-Mediterranean area. During the period 2003-2010 around 30,000 historical seismograms from 34 Euro-Mediterranean countries have been scanned at Sismos and now are freely shared online to the whole seismological community (seismogramrequest.rm.ingv.it).
Finally, at the ESC General Assembly in Moscow on 2012 a new ESC WG “Methods and data for the study of earthquakes recorded on pre-WWSSN historical seismograms" took the place of HDIS. The aim of this WG is to investigate earthquakes in the Euro-Mediterranean area, using seismograms of the pre-WWSSN era and other data.
During 25 years, the activity of these ESC WGs involved tens of members, produced tens of papers and more then hundred of presentations in seismological and history of science meetings enhancing the scientific and cultural value of the tangible and intangible heritage of Euro-Med seismology.