EPOS Optimization and EvolutioN
- 2024-2027
The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) is the sole distributed pan-European Research Infrastructure (RI) for solid Earth Science, enabling open access to high-quality, multidisciplinary data, products, and services. Based on the achievements of the previous EU projects on the design, implementation, and pre-operation of the EPOS RI, the EPOS ON project will support the consolidation of the infrastructure and pave the way for its further evolution. The project will enable the EPOS RI to meet long-term sustainability conditions for operation, relying on its ability to create value for the scientific and IT communities and to produce new insights for contributing to societal challenges related to risk management and environmental impact reduction. EPOS ON aims to enhance the EPOS services portfolio and develop new institutional and scientific collaborations by fulfilling the needs of different communities and by encouraging the establishment of new EPOS Thematic Core Services. This will provide the necessary impulse to expand access to data and services to a wider pool of users, in particular early career researchers, at both the European and global scale. User engagement will also increase thanks to the new generation of processing and workflow services developed during the project. EPOS ON is also devoted to shortening the gap between science and the private sector by enabling knowledge transfer and technological innovation. As a result, EPOS ON will reinforce the EPOS capability to unite scientific communities and countries, reducing fragmentation in the European Research Area. EPOS ON offers a timely opportunity for the optimization and evolution of the EPOS RI and reflects the strong commitment of its community to boosting EPOS impact.
TRANSFORM2
TowaRds AdvaNced multidiSciplinary Fault ObseRvatory systeMs²
- 2024 – 2027
Near Fault Observatories (NFO) are natural laboratories undergoing active, and complex geophysical processes at, or in proximity to, densely populated urban areas. NFOs bound relatively small areas and are ideal sites for in-depth monitoring and advanced research. Six NFOs in Europe, have been identified by the European Plate Observing System as long-term Research Infrastructures; three additional NFOs are in observer status. NFOs target the enhanced understanding of the mechanics of earthquakes to unravel the anatomy of complex seismogenic faults. This can only be achieved by the acquisition of continuous, long-term, high-resolution, high-quality, and high-density multidisciplinary data, and the application of consistent, high quality and state-of-the-art data processing. TRANSFORM² has the ambitious goal of improving and transforming the existing NFOs, by integrating cutting-edge methodological and technological solutions, paving the road for the next generation NFOs across Europe. This will be achieved through the development of four ‘concepts’: I) Innovative sensors – new generation of sensors in basic and applied research related to earthquake processes; II) Elevated detectability – novel automatic workflow for enhanced detectability and characterization of earthquakes; III) Early warning – new platforms for supporting decision-makers during earthquake alerts: IV) Test-bed – next generation of accessibility for testing and development of new cutting-edge sensors and algorithms. A focus will be on bringing transformative concepts such as Machine Learning and fiber optic cable sensing to the NFO community. Breakthrough ideas will be explored and addressed with focus on analytical and feasibility control detecting weaknesses and missing elements that will be resolved within the project. Awareness and engagement of stakeholders as well as societal needs will be a priority. Issues concerning NFO funding and sustainability will be addressed.
RI-SI-EPOS
- 2018-2021
ZRC SAZU was the leading institution of the project »DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS OF THE SLOVENIAN DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SPACE – RI-SI-EPOS«. Participating partners were: Geološki Zavod Slovenije, Univerza v Ljubljani FGG and Inštitut Jožef Stefan. Contract number C3330-19-952056 between ZRC SAZU and MIZŠ was signed on 22.7.2019.
The operation was co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund. This operation has been implemented within the framework of the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, under Priority Axis 1: “International competitiveness of research, innovation and technological development in line with smart specialization for greater competitiveness and greening of the economy”; Priority Investment 1.1: “Strengthening infrastructure for research and innovation and the capacity to develop excellence in this area, as well as to promote competent centers, especially those of European importance”; Specific Objective 1.1.1: “Effective use of research infrastructure and development of knowledge/competences for better national and international cooperation in the Knowledge Triangle”.
Operation was part of »Načrt razvojnih programov« (NRP) no. 3330-19-1142. EU contribution was 80%.
The purpose of the operation was to establish the missing development and research infrastructure, absolutely necessary for long-term quantitative monitoring and evaluation of the processes of the earth’s lithosphere and atmosphere for the exchange of data in the domestic and international space.