FDSN Metadata Standard for Legacy Seismic Data

In September 2019, a workshop was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where participants discussed many topics related to legacy seismic data. A significant outcome of this workshop was the identification of essential metadata necessary to facilitate the discovery and utilization of legacy seismic data. Workshop participants began with a set of metadata elements that have been used in a variety of data rescue projects around the world. Participants reviewed these elements and gave their opinion as to whether each element should be included in any metadata standard developed for legacy data. Workshop participants also suggested modifications to proposed elements, and many made suggestions for additional elements that should be considered.

In March 2021, an expanded survey, including all input from the Albuquerque workshop, was sent to several email lists and/or newsletters in the international seismological community, including FDSN, IASPEI, IRIS, SCEC, and AGU. 

The dataset was assembled by Tim Ahern and Lorraine Hwang and put forward as a proposal to the FDSN WG2 in 2021.  The review committee of Robert Engdahl, Josep Batlo, and Inna Sokolova provided their recommendation, which was approved by the membership in 2022.

This record contains the following:

• FDSN Framework Proposal-Legacy-FINAL-8-1-21.pdf. The proposal  to the FDSN led by Tim Ahern.
• Final-Report-Metadata-Legacy-Datasets.pdf. FDSB WG2 (Bob Engdahl, Josep Batlo, and Inna Sokolova) recommendations.
• FOLDS-Metadata-Final .pdf. The metadata and recommendations as approved by membership.