Operations Planning Committee

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Operations Planning Committee for Infrastructure

Oversees operational needs of SZ4D and provide scientific guidance for designing the necessary facilities

The Operations Planning Committee for Infrastructure (OPC-I) is the primary point of contact for the MultiHazard Array Proposal Team and is charged with oversight of planning for SZ4D infrastructure construction and operation, including:

MultiArray (Chile),
Onshore/offshore domestic instrumentation,
Physical Infrastructure required for GeoArray,
Physical Infrastructure required for modeling,
Physical Infrastructure required for experiments and sample archiving,
Physical Infrastructure required for data management,
Other physical infrastructure identified by the working groups.

The OPC-I supports the development of SZ4D infrastructure proposals by:

Making informed recommendations to proposal development teams (based on scientific guidance and technical guidance as appropriate and in reference to the Implementation Plan and Array Success Criteria) regarding:
- Instrument types, numbers, models, etc
- Deployment locations (blobs-to-targets-to-dots) and modes (e.g., telemetry, power, logistics, etc)
- Staffing requirements for infrastructure construction and operation
Making informed recommendations on the relative priority of competing infrastructure needs,
Reviewing and overseeing infrastructure proposal budgets (for completeness, bloat, accuracy),
Developing and implementing a change control process for MultiHazard Array and domestic onshore/offshore deployments.

OPC-I reports regularly to the Steering Committee on its activities.

OPC-I regularly coordinates with other SZ4D committees and external groups:

Solicit scientific guidance from working groups as a basis for recommendations to infrastructure proposal PIs and to Steering Committee
Solicit technical guidance from infrastructure vendors, relevant facilities (OBSIC, Earthscope, RAPID, etc), and community members with relevant expertise
Synchronize with facilities and projects related to SZ4D (EarthScope, OBSIC, CRESCENT, etc) to remain knowledgeable about and responsive to complementary infrastructure efforts.

Schematic of major instrumental arrays and activities of SZ4D. (Katy Cain/Carnegie Institution for Science)

OPC for Activities

From 2024 to 2025, the Operations Planning Committee (OPC) split into two committees: OPC for Activities (OPC-A) and OPC for Infrastructure (OPC-I). See below the charges for each committee.

The OPC-A has successfully achieved its objectives and is hereby concluded.

OPC-A played a pivotal role incubating key components of SZ4D’s scientific infrastructure, including:

Supporting the development of GeoArray (now a standalone committee);
Successfully organizing the data requirements for the MultiHazard Array (now used by the MultiHazard Array Team as backbone for the data management plan);
Driving the laboratory components that contributed to the Floor and Failure section of the Center Proposal;
Transitioning modeling activities to MCS.

OPC-A was charged with oversight, coordination, and integration of activities and data to complement physical infrastructure planning. For the purpose of this charge, “activities” means field, laboratory, modeling, and imaging scientific activities.

The charge included:

Identify and plan for high priority experimental, field, & modeling activity needs from Implementation Plan that are not currently being addressed
Work with CIC and SC to identify PIs and funding sources for high priority needs
Respond to evolving scientific priorities of activity-focused working groups (MCS, … ) or similar groups in future center organizations
Support and advise organizational SZ4D facility activity proposals during development including data management plans and non-instrumentation facility plans
Develop data management and sharing plans and protocols that proactively promotes data assimilation needs
Support development of physical sample storage and dissemination
Support development of and sustained access to Cyberinfrastructure
Advise operations of funded organizational proposals for activities, including advising on the implementation of the data management plans
- This role included a regular reporting schedule for all funded organizational collaborative activities

SZ4D Plans for Infrastructure

As SZ4D advances toward the submission of the MSRI-2* proposal, expected to occur in the fall of 2025, we are committed to keeping our community informed at every stage of the process. Visit our infrastructure page for updates on key milestones, progress reports, and opportunities for engagement.

INFRASTRUCTURE

* The National Science Foundation Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure Supports the implementation of research infrastructure — including equipment, cyberinfrastructure, large-scale datasets and personnel.

Committee Members

	Helen Janiszewski	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
	Sergio Sepulveda	Simon Fraser University
	Beatrice Magnani*	Southern Methodist University
	Diane Rivet	GeoAzur
	Lalo Guerrero	DOGAMI
	Jon Major	US Geological Survey
	Anne Trehu	Oregon State University
	Aaron Wech*	US Geological Survey
	Anne Soquet	Université Grenoble Alpes
	Bertrand Potin	Universidad de Chile
	Allan Lerner	US Geological Survey
	Jeff Freymueller*	Michigan State University
	Sean Gallen	Colorado State University
	Andy Newman	Georgia Tech
	Christine Regalla	Northern Arizona University
	Zack Spica	University of Michigan
	Chad Trabant	EarthScope
	Doug Wiens*	Washington U in St. Louis
	Lindsay Worthington	University New Mexico
	Stella Moreiras	CONICET
	Dave Mencin	EarthScope
	Daniel Melnick	Universidad Austral de Chile
	Alice Gabriel	UC San Diego
	Melodie French*	Rice University
	Chris Crosby	EarthScope
	Loreto Cordova	SERNAGEOMIN
	Paul Bodin	University of Washington
	Thorsten Becker	UTIG Austin
	Juan-Carlos Baez	Universidad de Chile