Robust automatic P-phase picking: an on-line implementation in the analysis of broadband seismogram recordings.
Sleeman, R. and T. van Eck

Seismic warning systems depend on automatic, quasi real-time, procedures for detecting, onset picking and identifying of signal phases in seismogram recordings. For systems which release alert messages quickly after an earthquake, the accuracy of the phase picks is essential for automatic and reliable hypocenter determinations. Today, such systems use arrival times from many stations operated by different seismological institutions, using different picker algorithms. In this context, it is important to evaluate different phase pickers in terms of accuracy of the onset times, using identical data-sets. This paper presents a performance test of the AR-AIC phase picker. The onset of a seismic signal is determined through joint AR modeling of the noise and the seismic signal, and the application of the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) using the onset time as parameter. Out of 1109 P-phase onsets with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) above 1 from local, regional and teleseismic earthquakes, our implementation detects 71% and gives a mean difference with manual picks of 0.1 sec.

Reference:
Sleeman, R. and T. van Eck, Robust automatic P-phase picking: an on-line implementation in the analysis of broadband seismogram recordings. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 113, 265-275.