Title: Seismic Data Transmitting and creating Nigerian National Network of Seismic Stations - Conception and realisation of a GPRS/APN

Technology Dauda Duncan1 Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics PMB 011, Toro, Bauchi State Nigeria Tel:+2348033539685 Email: daudadawud@yahoo.com.uk Lame G. U.2 Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics PMB 011, Toro, Bauchi State Nigeria Email: lame.garba@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT In order to meet the requirements of remote and central stations data transmission, a telecommunication system which is moderate in electric power consumption and price essential in Nigeria should be in place, due to poor and unreliable access to electricity in remote areas. VSAT, point-to-point radio connections, DSL and so many more are expensive, demand much more power and not portable. GPRS/APN technology integrated with required communication systems provides efficient, handy and cost effective process as well as reduction in trade-off between bandwidth and coverage. In other words, a special problem about real-time data transmission of is partially resolved and communication among stations. This simple and reliable method can be also applied to collection of seismic data from remote stations to central station and also Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be created once a static IP address is assigned to each SIM provided by GSM operator to make the seismic network secured and independent. Seismic network needs to be online and real time so that events could be processed and analysed to obtain earthquake epicenters, coda magnitude, tremors etc on time.

The seismic equipment of Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics, Toro, Nigeria who installed their first seismic equipment in 2008.The equipment have being stand-alone systems hence collection of seismic data were done manually that is users and operators travel across Nigeria to put together data. Keys words: seismic data, seismic network, GPRS/APN, GSM, VPN, IP address, earthquake

INTRODUCTION One seismic station does not make a network and in locating earthquake origins, magnitudes and their codas at least three seismic stations are needed. As a result networking of the stations is a primary procedure in seismic programme. Setting up a network is mainly a question about transmitting and communication and this field is in rapid development and will probably completely change the concept of how to design seismic networks. Earlier, a network was often a tightly linked system like the classical microearthquake network of analog radio telemetered stations a few hundred kilometers away sending analog data from the field stations to a central digital recorder. While these types of networks still are being built using digital transmission, the trend is for field stations to become independent computer nodes which, by software, can be linked together in virtual seismic networks, so called to distinguish them from the more classical physical networks. So, in the virtual network, the communication system is a design part separated from the seismic stations themselves. The communication can be based on radio, satellite or public data communication channels. Particularly, in Nigeria, seismic stations across Nigeria as shown in fig. 1 and table 1, transmission of seismic data from remote units to a central station unit via a

VSAT, point-to-point radio connections to extend cable telemetry spreads, DSL Standard dialup technologies would be a difficult one due to bulky nature, expensive and most importantly the power consumption of the usual technologies. Access Point Name (APN) provides routing information for GPRS and it consists of two parts; the Network ID, which identifies the external service requested by a user of the GPRS service, and the Operator ID, which specifies routing information. The utilization of GPRS/APN technology tends to moderate and optimize the available resources to realize near real-time transmission of data for disks sharing of various seismic recorders.

KAD TOR MNA ABJ

OYO IBN IFE

AW K ABK NSU

Fig. 1 Seismic stations across Nigeria

S/N Station Name 1 2 3 Oyo Ibadan Ile-Ife Latitude Longitude Elevation (m) Geologic Foundation 295 193 289 Granite Gneiss Gneiss Instrumentation

0753.131N 0357.078E 0727.251N 0353.520E 0732.800N 0432.815E

No Instrument Installed No instrument installed EP105 broadband seismometer, DR4000 recorder

Awka

0614.561N 0706.693E

50

Shale and No instrument installed siltstone Sandstone EP105 broadband seismometer, DR4000 recorder No instrument installed No instrument installed No instrument installed

Nsukka

0652.011N 0725.045E

430

6 7 8

Abakiliki Abuja Toro (Central)

0623.453N 0801.474E 0859.126N 0723.380E 1003.303N 0907.089E

82 432 882

Sandstone Granite Gneiss

Kaduna

1026.101N 0738.484E

668

Granite

EP105 broadband seismometer, DR4000 recorder

10

Minna

0930.702N 0626.411E

203

Granite

No instrument installed

Table 1

Location of Nigeria Seismological Stations

Method of (Near) real-time seismic data transfer using GPRS/APN Technology Disks sharing of various seismic recorders in the network using GPRS/APN setting as shown in fig. 2 and creating VPN enables transfer of data online real time. With

NetBIOS over TCP/IP protocol integrated in a modem and the seismic recorder, disk sharing becomes realistic. At the data centre, the seismic station is equipped with broadband seismometer and portable multi-channel low power data Acquisition system. The acquisition system is characterized with stand-alone recording as well as remote data retrieval modem via telephone line, radio telemetry, and direct connection to a PC-based workstation via Ethernet or wireless LAN. Receiving the data would be done in near real time from the selected seismic stations across Nigeria as well as chosen global seismic network. Using GPRS/APN connections data would be received across network, as well as other seismic network. In GPRS/APN technology, connecting remote seismic recorders which are equipped with Ethernet to a cellular/GSM network, it must be taken into account the requirements of the application and the available IP addressing schemes available by the GSM company. Specifically, consideration must be given in wireless solutions regarding which side of the connection initiates communication. Wireless Operators offer private APN's with static IP address support thereby letting the clients have their own private network within the GPRS network.

Each wireless carrier handles usage and management of IP addresses differently, therefore clients must be prepared to carefully examine the type of IP connectivity options available and make sure that they work with the targeted application. Most importantly, to establish a communication through GPRS supplied by your Cellular Network Operator, the configuration needed should usually involve GPRS/EDGE/3G modem router. Currently Multnet Mobile router which has being used and tested elsewhere. Once the mobile router is compatible the Private seismic network (can be shared), APN a point-to-point network with static IP address can be set up by the cellular service provide. The service provider makes available a specific static IP-address to each cellular sim-card so that when the particular SIM-card is inserted into the GPRS modem in the router and connects to the Private APN. The network must always be assigned with the same IPaddress. Moreover, to access devices beyond the mobile router, port forwarding needs to be configured. This will forward incoming packets to the attached device on the remote network to communicate to that device from a central server, the routers PPP IP address should be configured as the address for the remote device. Once port forwarding has been set up, the router will forward the packets and the remote readers can be communicated to on the SIM IPs.

Since private APN essentially gives the mobile router an entry point into an IPbased data network that is static IP on each mobile router, a virtual private network (VPN) could be created across the several seismic stations, enabling privacy and tunneling of non-TCP/IP protocols. Furthermore, instead of using more expensive permanent means like VSAT, radio modems at each site with several repeaters, we can have 2 categories of VPNs to achieve additional more protected and opened network namely: i. Remote access VPN where remote users of the seismic data like telecommuter securely access the data in the network whenever and wherever they need to do. ii. Extranet VPN where external people would be allowed to access the seismic via internet. Hence, the solution allows easy remote connectivity with remote seismic recorders.

Internet/APN

Broadband Router equipped with GSM / GPRS / EDGE / HSDPA / HSUPA Modem Ethernet/RS232 ports

Broadband Router equipped with GSM / GPRS / EDGE / HSDPA / HSUPA Modem Ethernet/RS232 ports

Broadband Router equipped with GSM / GPRS / EDGE / HSDPA / HSUPA Modem Ethernet/RS232 ports

Seismic Recorder equipped with Ethernet/RS232 ports

Seismic Recorder equipped with Ethernet/RS232 ports

Seismic Recorder equipped with Ethernet/RS232 ports

Fig. 2 Seismographic network with pure GPRS/APN The few challenges this technology make unfilled is, in GSM services voice communication is primary to data transfer so voice is their topmost priority. Secondly, poor access and unreliability of electricity in Nigeria brings challenges to the seismic program. Averagely 5 hours per day and the remaining 19 hours, the population relies on petrol and diesel generators and besides that most remote

towns are not connected with the national grid. Invariably, basic photovoltaic system is the last resort to power all the seismic equipment. Benefits This technology makes the network independent of the internet and it is more secured since VPN could be created across the station. Convectional GPRS mobile device for this solution usually has EDGE and HSDPA capabilities and hence enhance data transfer. GPRS mobile devices only use the GSM network when data is transferred and GSM connection is not dedicated to each user, therefore it can be shared with many users resulting in efficient use of the network. Billing is not based on time, but on the amount of data actually transferred. Direct corporate connectivity is faster, more secured and more easily deployable.

Conclusion This solution of GPRS/APN is capable of providing high-speed seismic data transmission, allowing technologies such as EDGE (Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution) which is a specification for data transfer on GSM networks and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) to be integrated. This would support seismic data transfer across to the central station for near real time and online seismic data analysis to generate results like earthquake location of epicentres,

magnitude, coda magnitudes so many more. Hence, special problems of using VSAT, point-to-point radio connections and DSL technologies are solved with minimum available resources in Nigeria. REFERENCES Jens Havskov and Gerardo Alguacil (2002 ): Instrumentation in Earthquake Seismology, page 12, 192 Usha Communication Technology (2000): General Packet Radio Service White Paper www.scanp.dk : Scan Project Solutions APS, page 1 www.comtechm2m.com/m2m-technology/gprs-tutorial.htm, page 2 www.vpntools.com/vpntools_articles/vpn-tunnel.htm, page 1 www.multenet.com/products/broadbandrouter.html, page 1