Background Information

We assume that the reader has a basic familiarity with the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) initiative.  If not, click here for basic details.
 

Important Information Item #1
 

From <http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/eqhaz/anss/ANSScurrent.html> under the heading, "ANSS Management and Implementation":
 

"ANSS will be managed nationally, but implemented regionally.  On February 29, 2000, the newly formed National Steering Committee of the ANSS met at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory to begin defining the ANSS management structure and its functions. The committee agreed that implementation of ANSS will be coordinated by a small number of regions (approximately 6-7).

EACH REGION WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ORGANIZING ITSELF
[ emphasis added ]

by bringing together a diverse group of seismologists, engineers, and emergency managers to broadly plan for ANSS implementation in that region. Each region will also designate
one person to represent that region on the National Implementation Committee. Once a region defines its geographic boundaries, identifies participants, and develops a regional implementation plan, this plan will be submitted to the National Implementation Committee for endorsement...."
 

Important Information Item #2
 

The ANSS Management Plan at this point envisions one "Regional Subcommittee" for each region of the Nation, with the following description (same URL as above):

 
"Regional Subcommittees.

Includes representation from the seismological, engineering, and emergency management communities as well as other relevant regional programs and interests. Oversees the regional implementation of ANSS. With the Regional Coordinator, develops plans, schedules, and instrumentation types and locations under guidelines from the National Implementation Committee. Works in close consultation with Regional ANSS Coordinator. Helps develops private partners for the ANSS within the region."

        Challenges

 
The constraint of having "a small number of regions" for the ANSS management structure means that the whole "Intermountain West" is being eyed by the Interim National Committee as one region--bounded on the west by a California region and a Pacific Northwest region, and on the east by some yet-to-be-defined central U.S. region.

At the CNSS annual meeting in San Diego in April, we gave our perspectives on the challenges of organizing an Intermountain West region.  (Go to <http://www.cnss.org/meeting00.html> and scroll down to `Walter Arabasz, University of Utah'; see also `John Anderson, University of Nevada.') In part, Walter said:

"If an Intermountain region is defined for ANSS administrative purposes, one of the challenges will be to accommodate widely separated centers of activity (each with its own partnerships among seismologists, engineers, and emergency managers) serving populations variously in Nevada, Utah's Wasatch Front urban corridor, Colorado, the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas), and the northern part of the Intermountain region (Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming)."

Given this background information, the question is, "How do we self-organize in the Intermountain West?"  Go to A Strawman Proposal for Getting Started.
 

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