Frequently Answered Question

IRIS delivers raw instrument data, leaving all analysis (such as determining the actual ground motion) to the user, because that analysis matters in terms of seismology. (We provide the data, not our opinion about what it means.)

There are a number of tools that can easily translate this raw data into whatever form is needed:

• ObsPy is the de facto toolset for Python
• SeisCode is an index of seismology-related software.

There are also groups that may provide more directly useful data:

• Center for Engineering Strong Motion Data