Sheila Peacock
I had a go some time ago to understand the meaning of RESP files and
wrote some notes, which follow. Please note that they might not
be correct, or might be incorrect for data from other stations or
instruments. I was trying to establish the relationship between
the parameters in RESP files and the parameters in headers of
IMS (GSE)-format data from the CTBTO International Data Centre.
Sheila Peacock
Blacknest.
Meaning of numbers in rdseed RESP files
Here is a sample rdseed RESP file, which is output if you ask rdseed to output responses:
* RESP.IU.FURI.00.BHE: "RESP" file for FURI component BHE
The topmost part is like this:
# << IRIS SEED Reader, Release 4.6 >>
#
# ======== CHANNEL RESPONSE DATA ========
B050F03 Station: FURI
B050F16 Network: IU
B052F03 Location: 00
B052F04 Channel: BHE
B052F22 Start date: 1999,111,00:00:00
B052F23 End date: No Ending Time
# =======================================
# + +--------------------------------------------+
+
# + | Response (Poles & Zeros), FURI ch BHE |
+
# + +--------------------------------------------+
+
#
B053F03 Transfer function type: A [Laplace Transform (Rad/sec)]
B053F04 Stage sequence number: 1
B053F05 Response in units lookup: M/S - Velocity in Meters Per
Second
B053F06 Response out units lookup: V - Volts
B053F07 A0 normalization factor: 3948.58
B053F08 Normalization frequency: 0.02
B053F09 Number of zeroes: 2
B053F14 Number of poles: 4
# Complex zeroes:
# i real imag real_error imag_error
B053F10-13 0 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F10-13 1 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
# Complex poles:
# i real imag real_error imag_error
B053F15-18 0 -1.234000E-02 1.234000E-02 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F15-18 1 -1.234000E-02 -1.234000E-02 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F15-18 2 -3.918000E+01 4.912000E+01 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F15-18 3 -3.918000E+01 -4.912000E+01 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
#
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
# + | Channel Gain, FURI ch BHE |
+
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
#
B058F03 Stage sequence number: 1
B058F04 Gain: 2.296000E+03
B058F05 Frequency of gain: 2.000000E-02 HZ
B058F06 Number of calibrations: 0
#
# + +-------------------------------------------+ +
# + | Response (Coefficients), FURI ch BHE | +
# + +-------------------------------------------+ +
#
B054F03 Transfer function type: D
B054F04 Stage sequence number: 2
B054F05 Response in units lookup: V - Volts
B054F06 Response out units lookup: COUNTS - Digital Counts
B054F07 Number of numerators: 0
B054F10 Number of denominators: 0
#
# + +------------------------------+ +
# + | Decimation, FURI ch BHE | +
# + +------------------------------+ +
#
B057F03 Stage sequence number: 2
B057F04 Input sample rate: 5.120000E+03
B057F05 Decimation factor: 1
B057F06 Decimation offset: 0
B057F07 Estimated delay (seconds): 0.000000E+00
B057F08 Correction applied (seconds): 0.000000E+00
#
# + +---------------------------------------+ +
# + | Channel Gain, FURI ch BHE | +
# + +---------------------------------------+ +
#
B058F03 Stage sequence number: 2
B058F04 Gain: 4.194300E+05
B058F05 Frequency of gain: 0.000000E+00 HZ
B058F06 Number of calibrations: 0
#
And the very end is like this:
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
# + | Channel Sensitivity, FURI ch BHE |
+
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
#
B058F03 Stage sequence number: 0
B058F04 Sensitivity: 9.630000E+08
B058F05 Frequency of sensitivity: 2.000000E-02 HZ
B058F06 Number of calibrations: 0
#
The corresponding poles-zeros file, which is output if you ask rdseed to put it out, is:
ZEROS 3
POLES 4
-0.0123 0.0123
-0.0123 -0.0123
-39.1800 49.1200
-39.1800 -49.1200
CONSTANT 3.802483e+12
The "RESP" file represents the velocity response, and hence the poles and zeros listed there
include two zeros while the pole-zero file immediately above has three since it represents the
displacement response.
The "Sensitivity" at the end of the "RESP" file is the product of all the gains in the file
(all the numbers in lines containing "Gain": in this case, 9.63e8 = 2.296e3 V/(m/s) x 4.1943e5
counts/V). It is in the velocity domain and has units of counts per (metre per second) so to
convert it to displacement sensitivity (counts per metre) you would MULTIPLY by 2pi times the
calibration frequency (0.02 Hz in this case). This gives you 10^9 / the value of "calib" that
would be found in GSE/IMS format files, CSS .wfdisc files and "static.instrument" IDC database
table (8.263497 in this case). "Calib" is in units of nanometres per count.
The number "A0 normalization factor" (value 3948.58 in this case) is said in the SEED manual
to be "set such that when you evaluate the polynomial at the reference frequency the result
will be one". It is the "poles-and-zeros constant" for the velocity poles-zeros in the "RESP"
file. If you calculate the poles-zeros constant (a hefty job best done in fortran for
the complex arithmetic required - beware of floating-point overflow, though!)
from the displacement poles-zeros file output by rdseed, rather than take the "RESP" file value,
you should get the "displacement" poles-and-zeros constant, which is equal to the A0 normalization
factor value divided by (2pi times the calibration frequency) (in this case 0.02 Hz, which
gives 31421.7).
If you multiply the A0 normalization factor by the "sensitivity" (9.63e8 counts/(m/s)), you
get the value of the poles-zeros constant at the end of the poles-zeros file produced by
rdseed (3.802483e12 in this case). Note that because this constant consists of the product
of a velocity sensitivity (a displacement sensitivity divided by 2pi x calibration frequency)
and a velocity poles-zeros constant (a displacement poles-zeros constant multiplied by
2pi x calibration frequency), the factors of 2pi x calibration frequency cancel out and
it is correctly a displacement poles-zeros constant (albeit multiplied by the sensitivity)
and accompanies a set of displacement poles-zeros, as expected by SAC.
Since the poles-zeros file written by rdseed contains a constant that has already been
multiplied by the sensitivity and the sensitivity is equivalent to 1/(calibration factor
"calib" in IDC parlance x 2pi x frequency), it is not necessary to multiply the seismogram
by the calibration factor.
wrote some notes, which follow. Please note that they might not
be correct, or might be incorrect for data from other stations or
instruments. I was trying to establish the relationship between
the parameters in RESP files and the parameters in headers of
IMS (GSE)-format data from the CTBTO International Data Centre.
Sheila Peacock
Blacknest.
Meaning of numbers in rdseed RESP files
Here is a sample rdseed RESP file, which is output if you ask rdseed to output responses:
* RESP.IU.FURI.00.BHE: "RESP" file for FURI component BHE
The topmost part is like this:
# << IRIS SEED Reader, Release 4.6 >>
#
# ======== CHANNEL RESPONSE DATA ========
B050F03 Station: FURI
B050F16 Network: IU
B052F03 Location: 00
B052F04 Channel: BHE
B052F22 Start date: 1999,111,00:00:00
B052F23 End date: No Ending Time
# =======================================
# + +--------------------------------------------+
+
# + | Response (Poles & Zeros), FURI ch BHE |
+
# + +--------------------------------------------+
+
#
B053F03 Transfer function type: A [Laplace Transform (Rad/sec)]
B053F04 Stage sequence number: 1
B053F05 Response in units lookup: M/S - Velocity in Meters Per
Second
B053F06 Response out units lookup: V - Volts
B053F07 A0 normalization factor: 3948.58
B053F08 Normalization frequency: 0.02
B053F09 Number of zeroes: 2
B053F14 Number of poles: 4
# Complex zeroes:
# i real imag real_error imag_error
B053F10-13 0 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F10-13 1 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
# Complex poles:
# i real imag real_error imag_error
B053F15-18 0 -1.234000E-02 1.234000E-02 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F15-18 1 -1.234000E-02 -1.234000E-02 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F15-18 2 -3.918000E+01 4.912000E+01 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
B053F15-18 3 -3.918000E+01 -4.912000E+01 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00
#
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
# + | Channel Gain, FURI ch BHE |
+
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
#
B058F03 Stage sequence number: 1
B058F04 Gain: 2.296000E+03
B058F05 Frequency of gain: 2.000000E-02 HZ
B058F06 Number of calibrations: 0
#
# + +-------------------------------------------+ +
# + | Response (Coefficients), FURI ch BHE | +
# + +-------------------------------------------+ +
#
B054F03 Transfer function type: D
B054F04 Stage sequence number: 2
B054F05 Response in units lookup: V - Volts
B054F06 Response out units lookup: COUNTS - Digital Counts
B054F07 Number of numerators: 0
B054F10 Number of denominators: 0
#
# + +------------------------------+ +
# + | Decimation, FURI ch BHE | +
# + +------------------------------+ +
#
B057F03 Stage sequence number: 2
B057F04 Input sample rate: 5.120000E+03
B057F05 Decimation factor: 1
B057F06 Decimation offset: 0
B057F07 Estimated delay (seconds): 0.000000E+00
B057F08 Correction applied (seconds): 0.000000E+00
#
# + +---------------------------------------+ +
# + | Channel Gain, FURI ch BHE | +
# + +---------------------------------------+ +
#
B058F03 Stage sequence number: 2
B058F04 Gain: 4.194300E+05
B058F05 Frequency of gain: 0.000000E+00 HZ
B058F06 Number of calibrations: 0
#
And the very end is like this:
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
# + | Channel Sensitivity, FURI ch BHE |
+
# + +---------------------------------------+
+
#
B058F03 Stage sequence number: 0
B058F04 Sensitivity: 9.630000E+08
B058F05 Frequency of sensitivity: 2.000000E-02 HZ
B058F06 Number of calibrations: 0
#
The corresponding poles-zeros file, which is output if you ask rdseed to put it out, is:
ZEROS 3
POLES 4
-0.0123 0.0123
-0.0123 -0.0123
-39.1800 49.1200
-39.1800 -49.1200
CONSTANT 3.802483e+12
The "RESP" file represents the velocity response, and hence the poles and zeros listed there
include two zeros while the pole-zero file immediately above has three since it represents the
displacement response.
The "Sensitivity" at the end of the "RESP" file is the product of all the gains in the file
(all the numbers in lines containing "Gain": in this case, 9.63e8 = 2.296e3 V/(m/s) x 4.1943e5
counts/V). It is in the velocity domain and has units of counts per (metre per second) so to
convert it to displacement sensitivity (counts per metre) you would MULTIPLY by 2pi times the
calibration frequency (0.02 Hz in this case). This gives you 10^9 / the value of "calib" that
would be found in GSE/IMS format files, CSS .wfdisc files and "static.instrument" IDC database
table (8.263497 in this case). "Calib" is in units of nanometres per count.
The number "A0 normalization factor" (value 3948.58 in this case) is said in the SEED manual
to be "set such that when you evaluate the polynomial at the reference frequency the result
will be one". It is the "poles-and-zeros constant" for the velocity poles-zeros in the "RESP"
file. If you calculate the poles-zeros constant (a hefty job best done in fortran for
the complex arithmetic required - beware of floating-point overflow, though!)
from the displacement poles-zeros file output by rdseed, rather than take the "RESP" file value,
you should get the "displacement" poles-and-zeros constant, which is equal to the A0 normalization
factor value divided by (2pi times the calibration frequency) (in this case 0.02 Hz, which
gives 31421.7).
If you multiply the A0 normalization factor by the "sensitivity" (9.63e8 counts/(m/s)), you
get the value of the poles-zeros constant at the end of the poles-zeros file produced by
rdseed (3.802483e12 in this case). Note that because this constant consists of the product
of a velocity sensitivity (a displacement sensitivity divided by 2pi x calibration frequency)
and a velocity poles-zeros constant (a displacement poles-zeros constant multiplied by
2pi x calibration frequency), the factors of 2pi x calibration frequency cancel out and
it is correctly a displacement poles-zeros constant (albeit multiplied by the sensitivity)
and accompanies a set of displacement poles-zeros, as expected by SAC.
Since the poles-zeros file written by rdseed contains a constant that has already been
multiplied by the sensitivity and the sensitivity is equivalent to 1/(calibration factor
"calib" in IDC parlance x 2pi x frequency), it is not necessary to multiply the seismogram
by the calibration factor.
