EPOS
EPOS, European Plate Observing System, is a European research infrastructure that has developed a long-term integration plan with the aim of providing online access to scientific data and products and physical access to laboratories and observatories for solid earth sciences . EPOS was created to promote access and facilitate the integrated use of high quality multidisciplinary data produced by national and transnational monitoring systems and networks.
Open access to multidisciplinary data through innovative services is the first condition for research to progress in understanding the physical and chemical processes that govern earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves and, in general, all surface deformation processes, and thus contribute to the evaluation of the hazard and the mitigation of natural and anthropogenic risks. The ultimate goal of EPOS is to provide new opportunities to monitor and thus understand the dynamics and complexity of the Earth system.
To achieve this objective, EPOS is integrating the different research infrastructures existing in Europe into a single, distributed and sustainable Infrastructure which provides access to data and scientific products generated by the different communities involved in its integration plan (seismology, geodesy , volcanology, satellite observations, geomagnetism and geology).
EPOS, integrating around 150 research infrastructures in 25 European countries, represents the first and only example of a federated approach to solid earth sciences in Europe.
The European research infrastructure EPOS entered the roadmap of the European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) in 2008 and completed the design of its functional architecture during the preparatory phase (EPOS Preparatory Phase, 2010-2014). In 2014, the EPOS infrastructure was proposed by ESFRI to the Competitiveness Council of the European Commission as one of the three priority infrastructures for implementation in Europe. This made it possible to start the implementation phase (EPOS Implementation Phase, 2015-2019) and the creation of services for access to data and scientific products and the construction of the prototype of the integrated infrastructure made up of Thematic Core Services (TCS) and Integrated Core Services (ICS). The TCS represent the environment in which each scientific community involved in the EPOS integration plan collects, controls and integrates data and services to make them interoperable with each other and accessible through the ICS, which represent the new integrated infrastructure, which provides access to data and resources to interact with users.
..On 30 October 2018, the European Commission recognized EPOS with the status of European Research Infrastructures Consortium (ERIC), thus formalizing the birth of the "legal entity" EPOS ERIC which, housed in Italy at the INGV, coordinates the pan- European Union and collaboration between European countries and research institutions.
The EPOS research infrastructure started its Pilot Operational Phase in 2020, providing free access to scientific data and products, as well as services for their visualization and analysis through the new ICS-C portal. EPOS contributes to the promotion of open science by strengthening the sharing of scientific data in a sustainable context and by proposing shared solutions for interoperability between research infrastructures for solid earth sciences at European and global level.
INGV also coordinates the participation of the Italian team in EPOS through a Joint Research Unit (JRU EPOS-Italia) signed up by ten national institutions: INGV, CNR, INOGS, ISPRA, CINECA, EUCENTRE, Roma Tre University, Federico II University of Naples , University of Trieste, University of Genoa. The purpose of the JRU is to share support for the EPOS integration plan ensuring a return for the national solid earth science research system. The Italian participation in the pan-European integration plan allows INGV and JRU EPOS-Italia to contribute to the development and sustainability of research infrastructures also through the implementation of services for free access, capitalizing on both the and experiences available in Italy and the participation of national infrastructures in international cooperation initiatives in the global context.
EPOS - European Plate Observing System
INSTRUMENTAL OBSERVERS
The INGV geophysical observatories are managed by the Sections. The dual task of research and surveillance makes the heritage of observatories managed by INGV unique. Through it, INGV is committed to achieving ever higher measurement standards, in order to understand the processes active on the planet and to respond to society with increasing readiness, clarity and effectiveness.
INGV manages a network of permanent geomagnetic observatories for monitoring variations in the earth's magnetic field, and a network of ionospheric observatories for monitoring and studying the ionized upper atmosphere, which are flanked by stations for measuring ionospheric scintillations, stratospheric ozone, the concentration of chemical compounds in the mid-atmosphere (e.g. H2O and O3 ) and the columnar water vapor content. The geophysical observatories are distributed throughout the country, in the Mediterranean area, in the North Polar Region (Svalbard, Greenland), in the South Polar Region (Concordia and Mario Zucchelli Station, SANSA Station and EACF Station), and in South America (Argentina).
● Undersea Multidisciplinary Observatories (EMSO)
VOLCANIC EMERGENCIES
AStrombolian eruptive and effusive activity at the New Southeast Crater, taken from Zafferana Etnea (April 24, 2012). On the right, the bell tower of the mother church of Santa Maria della Provvidenza (photo by Marco Neri). In the Spring of 2012, the eruptive episodes of an explosive-Strombolian nature, even violent, produced by Etna were numerous .
During situations of crisis or volcanic emergency, the activities carried out by the Institute, and in particular those of the volcanological observatories, intensify. The increase in activities and personnel involved depends on the level of activity observed or expected at the volcano and follows the procedures and protocols in place at the Observatories and provided for by the agreements in force with the National Civil Protection Department (DPC) and other authorities of regional and territorial civil protection.
In these particular periods, the activities focus on the organization and implementation of interventions to enhance the permanent monitoring and observation systems through the deployment of mobile stations (eg seismic, geodetic and/or multi-parameter stations with the integration of microphones infrasonic and radiometers), possibly also in collaboration with the operational groups foreseen in the event of a seismic emergency. The analysis and interpretation of instrumental data and campaign observations collected are enhanced, also for the purpose of preparing appropriate expected scenarios or hazard assessments. At the same time, communication and information activities towards the public are also being strengthened, both through the institutional web portal and through the various social channels. Finally, in particularly serious cases, specific Crisis Units are established with the aim of supporting and strengthening the action of the volcanological Observatory of competence through contributions from other Sections of the Institute or from other institutions.
The data and observations collected by the monitoring networks, together with the hazard assessments elaborated by INGV are promptly transmitted, according to agreed procedures, to the DPC, the regional civil protection structures, the competent Prefectures and any other Competence Centers involved.
Based on this information, the Civil Protection Department defines the alert level to be assigned to the volcano. The warning system that the DPC has set up, in collaboration with INGV itself and with other Centers of Expertise, qualitatively expresses the state of activity of the volcano and its possible evolution, contemplating plausible scenarios and their relevance, on a scale local or national.
The general scheme shown below describes the levels of alert foreseen, according to the progressive removal of the volcanic system from an equilibrium condition, which ideally does not involve danger. However, it should be kept in mind that some volcanic phenomena are completely unpredictable and that therefore, even with the Green alert level, the risk should never be considered null. For more information, see the following link of the Civil Protection Department:
http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/attivita-rischi/rischio-vulcanico/attivita
CALCULATION CENTER
The scientific computing and IT systems infrastructure is one of the main technological tools available within the Institute to support all its activities. In fact, it includes the skills necessary for the design, management and development of the IT systems necessary for:
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basic IT services and connectivity both inside and outside the Institute;
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the preservation, updating and accessibility of the databases produced by the Monitoring and Observation Networks and by the Analytical Laboratories;
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the development and operation of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems for numerical simulations and data analysis, both for research activities and in support of service activities.
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the development, updating and maintenance of specialized HPC software for geophysical and volcanological research and for surveillance and monitoring services.
The infrastructure also takes care of:
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promote, within INGV, the use of new hardware, software and middleware technologies for the calculation, storage, analysis and visualization of scientific data;
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promote European Open Science policies, through the adoption of open-source approaches, staff training, sharing of experiences and skills in the HPC and Big Data fields;
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promote INGV's participation in national and European research programs in the HPC and Big Data fields and facilitate interaction with large computing centers in the PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe) field;
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promote and develop collaborations with national and European data centers and with commercial providers of cloud computing services, also through the signing of contracts or agreements, to ensure on-demand access to large-scale computing resources.
EMSO extension
EMSO, European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory,
is a pan-European research infrastructure that aims to promote exploration of the oceans and seas surrounding Europe and better understanding of phenomena that occur in the deep ocean environment in order to help explain the role that these phenomena have in the dynamics of the Earth System.
EMSO is a system of regional infrastructures (Regional Facilities) whose underwater observation platforms are arranged in strategic sites around Europe, from the Norwegian Sea to the Atlantic, the Mediterranean up to the Black Sea. The platforms, arranged on the seabed and along the water column, they are equipped with sensors that continuously acquire biogeochemical and physical measurements important for understanding the phenomena that characterize the deep marine environment including the interactions between the hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere.
The major environmental issues that EMSO addresses are:
• Climate changes
• Ocean dynamics (eg ocean heat content, acidification, biogeochemical processes, etc.)
• Status and possible evolutions of marine ecosystems
• Triggering and evolution of Geohazards in the marine environment (eg earthquakes, submarine eruptions, tsunamis, submarine gas emissions, etc.)
The EMSO infrastructure is designed to offer:
• access to acquired and validated data;
• access of scientific and industrial users to observation platforms for testing devices and software;
• access to the development and management laboratories of the observing platforms;
• specialist training services (e.g. training and workshops)
• dissemination services on the environmental issues to which it is addressed.
The skills that EMSO makes available to users cover a wide range of disciplines thanks to the sharing of skills and resources of its scientific community.
EMSO has been present since 2006 among the European research infrastructures of the Roadmap of ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures), and in September 2016 the European Commission granted EMSO the status of ERIC, European Research Infrastructures Consortium, thus formalizing the birth of the "legal entity" EMSO ERIC with registered office at INGV, which coordinates the infrastructure.
There are currently nine Member Countries of the European Consortium: France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Spain and Norway.
.The main research institutes and Italian universities involved in the marine science sector (CNR, ENEA, IIM, INFN, INGV, ISPRA, OGS, SZN, CoNISMa) signed a collaboration agreement in 2015, establishing the Joint Research Unit (JRU) EMSO-Italy, coordinated by INGV. The objective of the JRU is to coordinate the Italian participation in EMSO ERIC activities by strengthening the presence of Italian Regional Facilities and the ability to offer high quality scientific and technological services.