News

The "Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam" (GIPP) of the GFZ has aquired a fiber-optic gyroscope which allows the highly accurate orientation of geophysical sensors. This gyroscope produced by the company IXSEA allows the orientation of sensors (relative to Earth's rotation axis) with a typical accuracy of 0.1° (secant latitude).
The orientation of sensors using a magnetic compass usually suffers from magnetic deflections by metal parts (e.g. in buildings) and the magnetic declination which is locally and temporary variing. The use of the fiber-optic gyroscope avoids these pitfalls. The exact orientation of seismometers is for example essential for the analysis of seismic anisotropy.

In the future, research data gathered with instruments of the “Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam (GIPP)” of the GFZ has to be made available to the public within 4 years after the completion of the field work. This new guidline, which was triggered by the GIPP steering board, has been implemented on August 11, 2010.
This new rule will support sustainable archiving and subsequent reuse of primary research data. This is in line with the “Priority Initiative” of the “Alliance of German Science Organisations”: “In Germany alone, the costs associated with obtaining research data as the basis for scientific knowledge (...) is in the order of magnitude of several billion euros each year. Even after a relatively short phase of scientific evaluation by individual researchers or small groups, much of this data is forgotten and/or allowed to deteriorate. All scientific institutions therefore see an urgent need for action in order to ensure the systematic backup, archiving and provisioning of scientific data for subsequent (re-)use by third parties” (http://www.allianzinitiative.de/en/start). Similar rules are in force in the US and UK for many years.
Within the first 4 years after completion of the field work, data are only available to the project partners (PIs). For archiving, the “GIPP Experiment und Data Archive” and the “GFZ Seismological Data Archive (GEOFON)” can be used. Details regarding archiving can be found here and here.

GFZ-Section 2.2 “Deep Geophysical Sounding” and the Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam GIPP) have developed a new stand-alone 1-channel digital seismic data recorder.
This robust DSS-cube recorder is characterized by a small and light-weight design and extremely low power consumption. This means that it runs on 2 D-cell batteries for up to 3 weeks (depending on temperature etc.). High timing accuracy is provided by build-in GPS. Data is downloaded via USB interface. This instrument type optimally complements the existing GIPP hardware to improve the support of controlled-source experiments and shallow investigations.
The DSS-cube recorder is a GFZ hardware development; credits belong to Trond Ryberg, Mike Hönig and Karl-Heinz Jäckel who initiated and put forward the project. The development was completed in Summer 2009, the first 14 units were manufactured in August 2009. In 2009, the instruments were successfully tested in seismic experiments in Austria and Kyrgyztan. Since February 2010, 114 units of this type are available (supply on loan) through the GIPP. More details on technical specifications can be found here (link).

The Helmholz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) has started the Europe-wide procurement by public tender for the development of a new geophysical data recorder.
A corresponding call has been sent to the Official Journal of the EU for publication. Interested companies submit their bids until August 17, 2009. The instrument searched for is a digital data recorder, which will
replace the instruments used so far within the Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam (GIPP). 350 such instruments, which had been developed 10 years ago, are in operation within the GIPP. The instruments are used for investigations of the Earth by GFZ, Universities and other research institutions with seismic, seismological and magnetotelluric methods. They had been used in almost 200 experiments. Details of the call and the technical specification can be found at http://ted.europa.eu/.

In late 2008 the GFZ has acquired a new seismic multichannel recording system. It is a Geometrics Geode system with 240 channels.
This System is formed by 10 Geodes (each with 24 channels), analogue geofone cables (distance between geofone connectors 10m), corresponding interface cables, 10Hz-geofones and accessories. Maximum spread is 2.4km. Typical applications are shallow geophysical investigation and exploration in the depth range from meter to kilometer. In addition we purchased an accelerated weight drop as seismic source (PEG-40). These instruments form part of the Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam (GIPP).