# StdLoc — SeisComP Release documentation

6.9.0

# StdLoc

Generic locator plugin for SeisComP.

## Description

StdLoc is a SeisComP locator plugin that combines standard location methods and was developed with the focus on local seismicity, although the methods are generic enough to work at larger scales as well.

## Plugin

To enable StdLoc the plugin `stdloc` must be loaded.

## How does it work?

The locator can apply a multitude of location methods and it is particularly useful to combine them to achieve better solutions:

- LeastSquares: this is the classic algorithm that solves the linearized problem of travel time residual minimization via iterative least squares. However an initial location estimate is required. This is the intended method to select when StdLoc is used in combination with a pick associator: it provides the initial location estimate and StdLoc will improve it. When used in scolv or screloc, the location of the origin to be relocated is used as starting estimate. The configuration doesn’t require any mandatory parameters:

  >     method = LeastSquares

- GridSearch: finds the source parameters by evaluating the hypocenter probability of each point in a grid and returning the maximum likelihood hypocenter. Because the search space is fully evaluated there is no need for an initial location estimate and the location uncertainty is completely known. However the method is very slow. It can be used to relocate events in scolv that seem difficult to locate via other methods or to verify the uncertainty of a solution. The following example configuration computes a grid search around the average location of the picked stations. The grid points are spaced apart 0.5km horizontally and 2km vertically.

  >     method = GridSearch
  >     GridSearch.center = auto,auto,15
  >     GridSearch.size = 40,40,30
  >     GridSearch.numPoints = 81,81,16

- GridSearch+LeastSquares: this method can be used in very complex networks where a bad initial location estimates can get LeastSquares stuck in a local minimum. The method finds a LeastSquares solution for each cell in a (coarse) grid, using the cell centroid as initial location estimate. If finally returns the maximum likelihood solution. This method is intended to be used in screloc or scolv to relocate existing events. The following example configuration returns the best among the 75 (5x5x3) LeastSquares solutions, computed for every point in the grid.

  >     method = GridSearch+LeastSquares
  >     GridSearch.center = auto,auto,15
  >     GridSearch.size = 100,100,30
  >     GridSearch.numPoints = 5,5,3

- OctTree: this method produces similar results to GridSearch but it is extremely faster and it follows the NonLinLoc approach. The OctTree search starts by evaluating the hypocenter probability of each cell in a grid, computed as the probability density at the cell center coordinates times the cell volume. The search then continues by repeatedly fetching the cell with highest probability and splitting it in 8 sub-cells. These 8 cells are then inserted in the pool of cells to fetch from at next iteration. The search terminates after either a maximum number of iterations or after reaching a minimum cell size. At that point the maximum likelihood hypocenter is selected. Because the algorithms splits only the cells with higher probability, the search space is sampled in a very efficient way and it makes the method way faster than GridSearch. This method is intended to be used in screloc or scolv to relocate existing events. The following example is a plausible configuration for the entire Swiss network:

  >     method = OctTree
  >     GridSearch.center = 47.0,8.5,50
  >     GridSearch.size = 700,700,100
  >     GridSearch.numPoints = 21,21,11
  >     OctTree.maxIterations = 100000
  >     OctTree.minCellSize = 0.001

  However in this example we are at the size limit for a flat earth study geometry and for bigger regions GridSearch.center should be set to auto and GridSearch.size to a smaller size.

- OctTree+LeastSquares: this method allows the OctTree search to find the maximum probability cell in the network and uses that as the initial location estimate for LeastSquares. This method is intended to be used in screloc or scolv to relocate existing events. The following example is a plausible configuration for the entire Swiss network:

  >     method = OctTree+LeastSquares
  >     GridSearch.center = 47.0,8.5,50
  >     GridSearch.size = 700,700,100
  >     GridSearch.numPoints = 21,21,11
  >     OctTree.maxIterations = 10000
  >     OctTree.minCellSize = 1.0

  However in this example we are at the size limit for a flat earth study geometry and for bigger regions GridSearch.center should be set to auto and GridSearch.size to a smaller size.

The algorithms implemented in StdLoc are standard methods described in “Routine Data Processing in Earthquake Seismology” by Jens Havskov and Lars Ottemoller. The OctTree search algorithm is based on NonLibLoc by Antony Lomax.

## Why is stdloc suitable for local seismicity?

When dealing with very local seismicity (few kilometers or hundreds of meters) simplifications that are common for regional seismicity have to be removed. In particular the locator should take into consideration:

- station elevation and even negative elevation (e.g. borehole sensors)

- earthquake location can be above a seismic sensor (e.g. borehole sensors)

- possible negative earthquake depth (above surface)

More importantly the travel time tables used by the locator must be able to take into consideration all the above too.

## Travel Time Table

StdLoc can be configured with any Travel Time Table type available in SeisComP, however only the homogeneous type is able to take into consideration station elevation, negative source depth and sources happening above stations. For this reason homogeneous should be the preferred choice when working on very local seismicity and especially with borehole sensors.

## Module Configuration

Note

StdLoc.* Locator parameters: StdLoc. This locator requires the plugin “stdloc” to be loaded.

StdLoc.profiles

  Type: list:string

  Defines a list of profiles to make available to the plugin.

Note

StdLoc.profile.$name.* $name is a placeholder for the name to be used and needs to be added to `StdLoc.profiles` to become active.

    StdLoc.profiles = a,b
    StdLoc.profile.a.value1 = ...
    StdLoc.profile.b.value1 = ...
    # c is not active because it has not been added
    # to the list of StdLoc.profiles
    StdLoc.profile.c.value1 = ...

StdLoc.profile.$name.method

  Default: `LeastSquares`

  Type: string

  The location method to use: LeastSquares, GridSearch, OctTree, GridSearch+LeastSquares or OctTree+LeastSquares.

StdLoc.profile.$name.tableType

  Default: `LOCSAT`

  Type: string

  Travel time table format type. Also consider "tableModel"!

StdLoc.profile.$name.tableModel

  Default: `iasp91`

  Type: string

  The model to be used. The format depends on "tableType".

StdLoc.profile.$name.PSTableOnly

  Default: `true`

  Type: boolean

  If enabled the arrival travel time information are fetched using ‘P’ and ‘S’ tables only and the user selected specific phase type is not considered (e.g. Pg, Sg, PmP, SmS, P1, S1, etc).

StdLoc.profile.$name.usePickUncertainties

  Default: `false`

  Type: boolean

  Use pick time uncertainties rather than a fixed time error of XXX s. If true, an arrival weight is associated according to the uncertainty of the pick and "pickUncertaintyClasses".

StdLoc.profile.$name.pickUncertaintyClasses

  Default: `0.000,0.025,0.050,0.100,0.200,0.400`

  Type: list:string

  Unit: s

  Comma-separated list of time limits of uncertainty classes from which, along with pick time uncertainties, arrival weights are computed. The first value defines the lower limit of class 0.

  The interval into which a pick time uncertainty falls defines the index of the uncertainty class starting with 0.

  The corresponding arrival weight is computed as: weight = 1 / 2^(index).

  Example: A pick with a time uncertainty of 0.15 s is within the 4th interval ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 s. The class index is then 3.

  If pick uncertainty is absent, the highest class index applies.

StdLoc.profile.$name.confLevel

  Default: `0.9`

  Type: double

  Confidence level, between 0.5 and 1.0, used in computing the hypocenter confidence ellipsoid.

StdLoc.profile.$name.enableConfidenceEllipsoid

  Default: `false`

  Type: boolean

  Compute the hypocenter confidence ellipsoid. Disable this optional parameter to save some computation time.

Note

StdLoc.profile.$name.GridSearch.* Parameters controlling the GridSearch and OctTree methods.

StdLoc.profile.$name.GridSearch.center

  Default: `auto,auto,20`

  Type: list:string

  Unit: deg,deg,km

  Grid center defined as: latitude,longitude,depth. The special value "auto" can be used and the corresponding latitude, longitude and/or depth will be automatically computed as the average of the arrival station locations.

StdLoc.profile.$name.GridSearch.size

  Default: `40,40,30`

  Type: list:string

  Unit: km

  Grid size in km defined as: X,Y,Z direction extents around the "GridSearch.center", where X is the longitudinal extent, Y the latitudinal extent and Z the vertical extent.

StdLoc.profile.$name.GridSearch.numPoints

  Type: list:string

  Number of grid points in X, Y, Z direction. The first and last points are on the grid boundary unless the number of points is 1 and the point will be in the grid center.

  Format: numX,numY,numZ.

StdLoc.profile.$name.GridSearch.misfitType

  Default: `L1`

  Type: string

  The type of misfit to use, from which the likelihood function is derived: L1 or L2 norm. L1 is less sensitive to outliers and so more suitable with automatic picks, L2 is the preferred choice for manual picks.

StdLoc.profile.$name.GridSearch.travelTimeError

  Default: `0.25`

  Type: double

  Unit: s

  Typical error in seconds for travel times to stations. The value affects the uncertainty of the location. In OctTree it also influences the probability density computation: too conservative values increase the number of iterations required by OctTree to converge to a high resolution solution.

Note

StdLoc.profile.$name.OctTree.* Parameters controlling the OctTree method. OctTree uses the parameters defined in GridSearch, but applies the OctTree search algorithm on the grid. The starting cells of the OctTree search are created by dividing the initial grid in equally sized cells. The grid points becomes the cell vertices. Resulting number of cells in each direction: “GridSearch.numPoints” - 1.

StdLoc.profile.$name.OctTree.maxIterations

  Default: `50000`

  Type: int

  Maximum number of iterations after which the search stops. Zero or negatives values disable the stopping.

StdLoc.profile.$name.OctTree.minCellSize

  Default: `0.1`

  Type: double

  Unit: km

  Minimum cell size to be generate by the OctTree search to stop. A zero or negative value disable this stopping mechanism.

Note

StdLoc.profile.$name.LeastSquares.* Parameters controlling the LeastSquares method.

StdLoc.profile.$name.LeastSquares.depthInit

  Default: `20`

  Type: double

  The initial depth estimate when no initial hypocenter is provided. Used only with ‘LeastSquares’.

StdLoc.profile.$name.LeastSquares.iterations

  Default: `20`

  Type: int

  Number of iterations. Each iteration will use the location and time from the previous Least Squares solution.

StdLoc.profile.$name.LeastSquares.dampingFactor

  Default: `0.0`

  Type: double

  Damping factor to be used when solving the system of equations.

  0: no damping.

StdLoc.profile.$name.LeastSquares.solverType

  Default: `LSMR`

  Type: string

  Algorithm to use: either LSMR or LSQR.