The ISTC and STCU, jointly with the Institute of Earth Sciences/National Seismic Monitoring Center of the Illia University, hosted a kickoff meeting of the new project, “Seismic Network Expansion in the Caucasus and Central Asia.”  The meeting was held on September 25-27, 2018; in the Marriott Tbilisi Hotel, Tbilisi, Georgia under the Seismic Targeted Research Program of the STCU and the Seismic Targeted Initiative of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC).  The meeting was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. 

The purpose of the kickoff meeting was to develop coordinated approaches on improving both regional earthquake monitoring and national analytical and response capabilities in the Caucasus and Central Asia.  Regional participants and international collaborators discussed current network status and best practices in seismic network development and management. Network/data center managers, institutional directors and decision makers for the earthquake monitoring centers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan participated in the event.

Participants met to consider a joint ISTC/STCU project to augment national seismic networks by installing additional broadband seismic stations. The project would focus on improving network coverage, data quality, and data exchange, and would include a series of workshops on best practices in all phases, from seismic site selection, installation, operation, maintenance, and long term network sustainability.