earth science

QuakeML

QuakeML is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand QuakeML rather than just read about it. In short: The Quake Markup Language (QuakeML) is a flexible, extensible and modular XML representation of seismological data (e.g. epicenter, hypocenter, magnitude) which is intended to cover a broad range of fields of application in modern seismology. The flexible approach of QuakeML allows further extensions of the standard in order to represent waveform data, macroseismic information, probability density functions, slip di…

Key takeaways

QuakeML belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect QuakeML to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QuakeML from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Quake Markup Language (QuakeML) is a flexible, extensible and modular XML representation of seismological data (e.g. epicenter, hypocenter, magnitude) which is intended to cover a broad range of fields of application in modern seismology. The flexible approach of QuakeML allows further extensions of the standard in order to represent waveform data, macroseismic information, probability density functions, slip distributions, shake maps, and others. QuakeML is an open standard and is developed by a distributed team in a transparent collaborative manner.

Development QuakeML is developed in parallel with a UML representation of its data model. This allows an elaborate software development strategy which uses the UML class model together with a custom UML profile. The XML Schema (XSD) description is created automatically from the UML model with the help of tagged values, which describe the mapping from UML class attributes to XML representation. The UML/XMI description can also be used as a basis for automated creation of a class library using code generators. Suitable programming languages are, e.g., Python, C++, and Java. In this approach, writing and reading QuakeML documents is equivalent to serializing/deserializing QuakeML objects to/from their XML representation. A further possibility would be the serialization/deserialization to/from SQL for persistent storage in a relational database. The QuakeML language definition is supplemented by a concept to provide resource metadata and facilitate metadata exchange between distributed data providers. For that purpose, QuakeML proposes a URI-based format for unique, location-independent identifiers of seismological resources which are assigned by approved naming authorities. In a later development stage, QuakeML will provide a RDF vocabulary for resource metadata description, covering the resource's identity, curation, content, temporal availability, data quality, and associated services. QuakeML proposes to set up a network of registry institutions which offer web services for resolving resource identifiers into corresponding RDF/XML metadata descriptions, and additionally provide means for resource discovery by offering services for searches against resource metadata.

Version 1.2 Version 1.2 is the latest stable version QuakeML. Schemas and other documentation for version 1.2 can be found here. This is the version that is used in results of event queries to International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks (FDSN) web services and is supported by data centers around the world, such as the European Seismic Portal.

Version 2.0 QuakeML 2.0 will be the next major version. QuakeML up to version 1.2 covered (only) a basic seismic event description, whereas from v2.0 many new thematic packages will be available, and are currently under development. Currently, the following packages are under development with new first-level elements (child elements of quakeml):

Basic Event Description (BED) Basic Event Description – Real Time (BED-RT) Borehole Hydraulic Macroseismic Seismic Source Site Characterization Station Characterization Strong Motion Helper packages that do not define first-level elements:

Basic Event Description Types Common Filter Resource Metadata Waveform

QuakePy tools QuakePy is a Python package designed as a set of tools for statistical analyses of seismological data encoded using QuakeML. It provides a library of classes for earthquake catalog handling and computations, and plot routines for visualizing the obtained results. QuakePy is developed in Python as a fully open-source library, and it is based on multiple other tools such as GMT. Although QuakePy avoids the use of any proprietary software, many tools for Python allow for a MATLAB-like working environment, e.g., IPython.

References

External links QuakeML homepage

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QuakeML

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QuakeML claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to QuakeML before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about QuakeML ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of QuakeML

In research: QuakeML appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses QuakeML in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: QuakeML is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Earthquakes, Emergency management software, Industry-specific XML-based standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QuakeML outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study QuakeML in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QuakeML means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain QuakeML out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QuakeML in simple terms?

Why does QuakeML matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study QuakeML?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on QuakeML.