Most of the data collected and archived at the DMC is time series (or waveform) data. Each channel of timeseries data is identified by a 3-character channel code which indicates the type and placement of the sensor. The convention for time series channel codes is documented in greater detail in Appendix A of the SEED Manual but often data users want a quick way of determining their particular channels of interest, particularly if they are new to seismology.

A recently released web-based tool developed by the DMC provides a simple interface for users wishing to both learn, and query our data archive for, various channel codes. See a screenshot of the tool in Fig. 1 below.

The tool have been designed to support both the casual user of seismic data (notice the “cheat sheet” lists of commonly used channel codes beneath the drop-down menus) and also the professional seismologist who has very specific time series data needs.

In addition to defining SEED channel codes, users can also query DMC-created online tools directly from the interface. Currently the only tool supported is SeismiQuery, but in the future the list will be expanded to support other tools.

More information

Use the Time Series Data Channel Tool »