The National Seismic Observatory needs updated equipment in order to provide real-time information on earthquakes, according to a request made by the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA).
The existing manual methods of relaying data from the monitoring stations dispersed around the nation for interpretation, according to the acting director-general of the GGSA, Isaac K. Mwinbelle, delayed the dissemination of pertinent information about earthquakes to the general population.
The main problem is that with some of them, data are not transmitted in real time, so we have to do data conversion, he said. We have some monitoring stations at Weija, Achimota, in the Greater Accra Region around the three sites for nuclear power plants and other key areas that monitor seismic activities.
He said that in order to replace manual data transmission, the GGSA would need $200 million to upgrade its network infrastructure.
He issued the request during a session on the authority's operations that the GGSA had organised for certain media.
The GGSA's mandate, the resources it depends on to carry it out, several existing initiatives, and the difficulties it faces were all explained to the media.
Justification
The GGSA, according to Mr. Mwinbelle, presently uses satellite transmission, which is "not real time," therefore we must move to SIM modem transmission so that we can get data in real time when there is an earthquake.
"We are arguing that because it is a national asset, we need the money to properly operate it so that we can provide real-time information in the event of an earthquake, he added.
The authority's inability to give the public the most recent information whenever there was an earth tremor, according to the interim director-general, was concerning.
"We must transition to a better monitoring system in order to alert the public that an earthquake occurred at the specified time, at the specified place, and with the specified magnitude.
In order for the public to decide whether to go to work or not, we also need to provide them with certainty.
The absence of a reliable network infrastructure for sending real-time data on earthquakes, according to Mr. Mwinbelle, has been a huge impediment even though the authority is carrying out its mandate.
He said that because NADMO was dependent on the GGSA for all earthquake-related matters, the GGSA was working with it to lobby for the necessary finances.
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