CREDIT is envisioned to have three classes of users: 1)educators, interested individuals, and the media, 2) local disaster officials, state geologists, and other intermediaries who need to communicate the results of scientific investigations to planners and policy-makers, and 3) scientists who need data produced by government funded studies to carry out their own research investigations. All three classes of users may then communicate appropriate earthquake information as needed in other regions. Scientific endeavors will also further benefit by the timely exchange of ideas and information.

An operational mode of CREDIT, the Central Region Earthquake Emergency Response Program (CREEP), will be constructed in an effort to coordinate both scientific action and information dissemination to the public, emergency planners, and policy makers during future earthquake emergencies in the region. CREEP is designed to be a means to collect and transfer relevant information rapidly in the aftermath of a significant regional earthquake and will be activated as need dictates.

Due to regional attenuation factors in the central U.S., a moderate to strong earthquake could potentially be more damaging to a much wider geographical area than in the western U.S. The problem of information transfer is therefore compounded by distance. In addition, given the greater number of states potentially affected within the central U.S., a more complicated problem coordinating information transfer to the numerous state agencies exists. Both CREDIT and CREEP will provide a conveniently accessible central point for collecting and transferring information locally, regionally, and nationally. They will also complement our existing successful, interpersonal based outreach program which seeks to maximize contact with the broadest possible community of earthquake information users.