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The WARN module within Oceans 23.0 provides subscribers with early notifications of tsunamis and earthquakes as part of Ocean Networks Canada's Smart Oceans initiative. It utilizes existing the Oceans 23.0 data acquisition infrastructure while incorporating some new instruments and new event detection algorithms and software. Tsunami detection uses data from pressure sensors such as the existing Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR) for far-field tsunamis and a planned coastal radar system for near-field events. Earthquake detection uses new sensors providing p-wave data that were deployed in late 2014 but will be upgraded in early 2015 with more sensitive instruments. While WARN was implemented as a research/prototype with limited sensors and select early adopters for now, it is being designed to be expandable to greater numbers and types of instruments and subscribers.
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At this time, in order to subscribe, users must create an account on the Ocean Networks Canada “Oceans 23.0” website. They also require permission from Ocean Networks Canada in order to subscribe, because this project is still under development and we wish to limit access to ONC staff only at this time.
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Earthquake detection is done using a number of accelerometers located on land and on the seafloor offshore Vancouver Island. Accelerometers normally only output a characteristic amplitude value, the Japanese Meteorological Agency's (JMA) instrumental intensity, which is not used at the moment. Instead, WARN's driver software, which runs on a computer co-located with the accelerometer, analyzes the accelerometer data on all three axes and looks for the signature of a "P-wave", which is the initial compression wave emanated by the earthquake. This P-wave does not cause damage but travels much faster than the "S-wave" that therefore comes later and is at the source of potential damage. If a P-wave is detected, the driver outputs the time of detection of the P-wave. Then the driver analyzes the first few seconds of motion and determines the maximum displacement of the vertical component of the acceleration, which we call Pd, and the maximum period of the vertical component, which we call Tau. The Pd and Tau are then sent out by the driver computer to the Oceans 23.0 software running at the University of Victoria.
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As of April 2015 all event subscriptions are restricted to 1) those who have created an account in Oceans 23.0 (http://dmas.uvic.ca) AND 2) they have been given software permissions by ONC to allow them to subscribe to events (ie. a member of the Event Subscription group). Those meeting these conditions can subscribe to events on the Event Maintenance page of Oceans 23.0 at http://dmas.uvic.ca/EventMaintenance under the Event Subscription tab - see below. Note that in the screenshot below you will see other WARN events. These are mainly for test purposes to analyze the output from the algorithms that contribute to the earthquake or tsunami detection. Unless you are trying to understand the internal workings of WARN we recommend that you only subscribe to WARN Earthquake Detection and/or WARN Tsunami Detection.
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No licencing is required to become a subscriber of WARN events. However at the present time subscription to earthquake and tsunami events is only possible by invitation and only to those with an account to Oceans 23.0.