Rio scale

The Rio Scale is an attempt to quantify the detection of a signal by an extraterrestrial intelligence in terms of its impact on human civilization. It is mainly used by the members of the SETI program.

history

The Rio scale was first presented in October 2000 by Ivan Almar and Jill Tarter at an astronomical congress in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . The name is also derived from the place of publication. In 2002 the members of the IAA SETI Committee and the IAA SETI Permanent Study Group decided to officially adopt the Rio scale. Under the leadership of Almar and Tater, the members of the o. G. Institutions at this point in time to revise and refine the Rio scale, especially from the point of view of bringing more objectivity to the various evaluation criteria. This process continues to this day and will continue in the future, as technological progress and the general advancement of humanity make permanent adjustment of the Rio scale inevitable.

rating

The Rio scale is based in its evaluation system and in many other points on the Richter scale , which is used to evaluate the strength of earthquakes. The Rio scale rates the detection of an extraterrestrial signal from 0 to 10. To get a value on this scale, the Rio scale uses a from the Torino scale (scale for evaluating the threat from near-Earth asteroids), which is e.g. . Partly also based on the Richter scale, borrowed, two-dimensional calculation system in which the degree of consequences is related to the credibility of potential evidence of an extraterrestrial signal. Mathematically, the Rio scale is then defined as follows:

RS = Q * δ

In this formula, Q stands for the degree of impact and is made up of three main factors: the type of signal, the type of detection, and the distance from the signal source. δ represents the credibility of the evidence presented for an extraterrestrial signal. In particular, δ is a rather subjective aspect and therefore requires permanent revision.

rating scale

0 = no relevance
1 = insignificant
2 = low
3 = low
4 = moderate
5 = average
6 = remarkable
7 = high
8 = far-reaching
9 = extraordinary
10 = extraordinary

Others

In 2010, at a meeting of the Royal Society, a modification and extension, the London Scale (0–10), was presented, which makes it possible to assess scientific significance, validity and potential consequences.

Web links

The Rio Scale , accessed July 8, 2016
Rio 2.0: revising the Rio scale for SETI detections cambridge.org

Individual evidence

↑ I.Almar, J. Tarter: The Discovery of ETI as a High Consequence, Low probability event. doi : 10.1016 / j.actaastro.2009.07.007 , pdf preview ( memento of November 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 31, 2011.
↑ Iván Almar: SETI and astrobiology - The Rio Scale and the Scale London. Acta Astronautica, Vol. 69, Issues 9-10, November-December 2011, pp. 899-904, doi : 10.1016 / j.actaastro.2011.05.036 .
↑ Discovery of extraterrestrial life - assessment by scales of its importance and associated risks (mp3; 12.0 MB), Iván Almár, Konkoly Observatory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary @ The Royal Society - Scientific meeting, The detection of extra- terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society, 2010, royalsociety.org, accessed August 30, 2011.

[1] I.Almar, J. Tarter: The Discovery of ETI as a High Consequence, Low probability event. doi : 10.1016 / j.actaastro.2009.07.007 , pdf preview ( memento of November 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 31, 2011.

[2] Iván Almar: SETI and astrobiology - The Rio Scale and the Scale London. Acta Astronautica, Vol. 69, Issues 9-10, November-December 2011, pp. 899-904, doi : 10.1016 / j.actaastro.2011.05.036 .

[3] Discovery of extraterrestrial life - assessment by scales of its importance and associated risks (mp3; 12.0 MB), Iván Almár, Konkoly Observatory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary @ The Royal Society - Scientific meeting, The detection of extra- terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society, 2010, royalsociety.org, accessed August 30, 2011.