May 22, 2008
HPWREN and the Infrasound Project at the Piñon Flat Observatory
By Dr. Michael Hedlin and Clint Coon, SIO IGPP
The Laboratory for Atmospheric
Acoustics group at UCSD has used the HPWREN network since
November 2004. Our connection was first established at the Piñon
Flats observatory and has allowed us to receive continuous data for
the past 3.5 years. Our data comes from an array of microbarometers
at the observatory. The array is used primarily for nuclear monitoring.
The array has also provided a wealth of data for the study of a
broad suite of atmospheric phenomena. This connection is extremely
important not only because we can establish data streams back to
UCSD, which allow us to analyze and search for problems/signals,
but also because it allows remote command and control through various
software utilities. Due to the remoteness of the Piñon Flats
facility and lack of communications infrastructure in the area, any
other type of broadband connection is either not available or cost
prohibitive. We also have plans in the very near future to connect
additional equipment to HPWREN at the Camp Elliot facility near
Miramar in northern San Diego. HPWREN is ideal for our uses because
we require connectivity only between these locations and our offices
at UCSD. The extra security provided by the UCSD-only routeable
addresses as well as the excellent uptime and link speeds provided
by HPWREN have all become critical in successfully operating our
stations.
