CAREER: Integrating Research and Education to Apply High-Rate GPS Into Natural Hazards Reduction

全球定位系统(GPS)已发展成为适用于许多学科的主要工具之一，包括地理学、地球科学、大气科学、环境科学、土木工程、测量学等。二十多年来，地球科学家一直使用低采样率(例如，每个样本30秒)的GPS来研究板块运动。该项目的新方面是研究高速率全球定位系统(例如，每秒1个样本或更高)，这对于对地震、海啸和山体滑坡等自然灾害进行实时监测和预警至关重要。该项目将通过开展独立研究、改进当前的地球科学课程、支持和指导本科生和研究生研究以及促进教师专业知识发展来促进教育和研究的一体化。该项目的研究部分将侧重于提高实时高速率GPS的精度，促进其在自然灾害监测和预警中的应用，而教育部分将侧重于将GPS应用于大学和大学预科阶段的地球科学教育。这两个组件都是基于由NSF重大研究仪器(MRI)计划资助的高速GPS网络。高速率GPS网络包括位于波多黎各和美属维尔京群岛的六个永久GPS站和四个竞选GPS站。这些永久性GPS站与波多黎各地震台网和强运动计划运营的地震站并置，并与国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)运营的海平面潮汐计站紧密相距。GPS-地震-潮汐综合观测系统已成为波多黎各及其周边地区地震和海啸研究的基本基础设施。该项目的最终目标是促进实时高速率GPS在减少自然灾害中的应用，并为我们的新一代(毕业生、本科生和K-12学生)提供尖端的GPS技术，为广泛的职业道路做准备。这项研究的具体目标是：(1)系统评估高速率(5-赫兹、10-赫兹或更高频率)GPS作为一种新的地震计的性能；(2)开发提高高速率GPS精度的新方法；(3)将实时高速率GPS整合到波多黎各大学波多黎各地震台网运营的地震监测和海啸预警系统中。实时高速率GPS技术是先进的GPS卫星、互联网、实时通信、太阳能、计算机和可视化技术的集成。这些新技术会激励学生吗？这将增加学生对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)学科的兴趣，并吸引更多的学生攻读地球科学专业，这将增加地球科学界的多样性。教育和外展是这一项目的重要组成部分。我们将每年资助两名毕业生、两名本科生和一名高中地球科学教师(在夏天)。我们还将开展一系列与全球定位系统应用有关的教育和外展活动。预计它们将提高公众对科学和新技术的认识，并增加未被充分代表的群体(拉美裔)对地球科学研究的参与。

Global Positioning System (GPS) has grown to become one of the principal tools applicable to many disciplines, including geography, earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, civil engineering, surveying, and others. GPS with a low-sampling rate (e.g., 30 second per sample) has been used by geoscientists for more than two decades to study plate motions. The new aspect of this project is to study high-rate GPS (e.g., 1 sample per second or higher), which is critical to conduct real-time monitoring and early-warning of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides. This project will foster the integration of education and research through conducting independent research, improving current geosciences curriculum, supporting and mentoring undergraduate and graduate research, and promoting faculty expertise development. The research component of this project will focus on improving precision of real-time high-rate GPS and promoting its applications in natural hazards monitoring and early-warning, while the educational component will focus on implementing GPS into earth science education at college as well as pre-college levels. Both components are based on a high-rate GPS network funded by a NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. The high-rate GPS network includes six permanent GPS stations and four campaign GPS stations located in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These permanent GPS stations are colocated with seismic stations operated by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network and Strong Motion Program and closely-spaced with sea level tide gauge stations operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The integrated GPS-Seismic-TideGauge observation system has become a fundamental infrastructure for earthquake and tsunami research in Puerto Rico and its surrounding regions. The final goal of this project is to promote applications of real-time high-rate GPS in natural hazards reduction, and fuel our new generation (graduates, undergraduates, and K-12 students) with the cutting-edge GPS technology to prepare for a broad set of career paths. The specific objectives of the research are to (1) systematically evaluate the performance of high-rate (5-Hz, 10-Hz, or higher) GPS as a new seismometer, (2) develop new methods of improving precision of high-rate GPS, and (3) integrate real-time high-rate GPS into the earthquake monitoring and tsunami early-warning system operated by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Real-time high-rate GPS technology is an integration of advanced GPS satellite, internet, real-time communication, solar power, computer, and visualization technologies. These new technologies will inspire students? interests in a spectrum of science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) disciplines, and attract more students to earth science majors, which will increase the diversity of earth science community. Education and outreach are the vital parts of this project. We will support two graduates, two undergraduates, and one high-school earth science teacher (in summer) each year. We will also develop a series of education and outreach activities related to the applications of GPS. They are expected to enhance public awareness of science and new technologies and increase the participation of underrepresented groups (Hispanics) in earth science research.