MsPASS: A Data Management and Processing Framework for Seismology

This article introduces a new framework for seismic data processing and management we call the Massive Parallel Analysis System for Seismologists (MsPASS). The framework was designed to enable new scientific frontiers in seismology by providing a means to more effectively utilize massively parallel computers to handle the increasingly large data volume available today. MsPASS leverages several existing technologies: (1) scalable parallel processing frameworks, (2) NoSQL database management system, and (3) containers. The system leans heavily on the widely used ObsPy toolkit. It automates many database operations and provides a mechanism to automatically save the processing history for reproducibility. The synthesis of these components can provide flexibility to adapt to a wide range of data processing workflows. We demonstrate the system with a basic data processing workflow applied to USArray data. Through extensive documentation and examples, we aim to make this system a sustainable, open source framework for the community.