Following a significant, damaging earthquake in California, a Clearinghouse operation will be established to:
- Provide a location, real or virtual, where scientists, engineers, and other professionals can become part of a larger, temporary organization (the Clearinghouse) whose primary purpose is to collect and disseminate perishable field data.
- Provide a daily forum where geologists, engineers, researchers, emergency managers, and other practitioners can assemble to share and discuss the observations they have made during their field investigations.
- Provide data collection forms to participants to facilitate systematic gathering, documentation, and dissemination of perishable field data, observations, and findings.
- Track fieldwork progress of investigators in order to minimize duplication of efforts and maximize examination of the affected area.
- Provide, using geographic information system technology, needed data, imagery, and maps to field investigators and digitally process for electronic dissemination, the data, maps, overlays, and photographs generated by them.
- Compile, synthesize, and quickly pass along critical information collected by field investigators to Emergency Operations Centers, the State Geologist, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other appropriate recipients.
- Accommodate officials from other regions, states, and countries.
- Provide a designated person to handle media representatives who arrive at the Clearinghouse.