WOVOdat at PHIVOLCS

The backend database and core scripts of WOVODat was programmed by the EOS in Open Source MySQL and PHP, respectively, and were completed in 2012. The EOS provided PHIVOLCS with a stand-alone package in early 2012 that was immediately implemented for web-based reporting and archiving of volcano monitoring data within the PHIVOLCS Intranet. Simply called PHIVOLCS-LAVA, or the Local Active Volcanoes Archive, the adapted database strictly adheres to the WOVOdat schema for all volcano monitoring table fields and related data, particularly the hierarchical parent-to-child data structure Volcano→ Network→ Station→ Instrument→ Data.

PHIVOLCS' Volcano Data Management (VDM) Team then embarked on a full customization of the WOVODat-based PHIVOLCS-LAVA, beginning with the incorporation of records of volcanological data that did not fit or exist in the standard table fields. This customization strictly observed the rule of adding fields (columns) to tables without editing or deleting the standard structure. Volcano catalog numbers or CAVWs assigned by the Smithsonian Institution-Global Volcanism Program(GVP) were adapted and new CAVW numbers were assigned to volcanoes not included in the GVP database. Conversion scripts for standardizing data to WOVODat formats were coded by the WOVODat Project for PHIVOLCS-LAVA to enable automated database population with the massive bulk of volcano monitoring records acquired through many years. Other packages adapted were visualization tools (beta version) and log-in security features.

The VDM Team further added new tools in the standalone package of WOVOdat to automate direct data input to the PHIVOLCS-LAVAservers in the Main Office from the remote Volcano Observatories, eliminating redundant data management tasks. Specifically, these include online forms for manually processed data such as volcanic earthquake phase data and counts, volcanic plume and crater glow observations, hydro-meteorological dataand volcanic SO2 flux measurements using campaign spectrometery. In 2015, the VDM further improved rapid data reporting by the Volcano Observatories by developing more robust online forms for volcano observation daily summaries (VODS), volcanic earthquake plottings and the Taal Main Crater Lake volcanic carbon dioxide flux, temperature and lake level parameters. Other online tools have already been laid out and are in the pipeline for development. The continued development of PHIVOLCS-LAVA has been institutionally integrated in PHIVOLCS’ Strategic Initiatives as a major project with year-on-year funding and deliverables.

As the database gets larger, more demands on bulk digital data management emerge to challenge the VDM Team to develop more tools. For example, a prototype that will directly push real-time monitoring data to PHIVOLCS-LAVAservers (e.g. Taal Main Crater Lake real-time CO2flux data with real-time data plotting) has just been initially tested with satisfying results. With this, the possibility of automatic intake of various volcano monitoring parameters from discrete remote data acquisition systems to the PHIVOLCS-LAVA servers can soon be realized.