The role of the GEO The role of the GEO Geohazards Community of PracticeGeohazards Community of Practice

for the Supersites Initiative for the Supersites Initiative

Geohazards Executive BureauNaples,

November 12th, 2008

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Role of the GEO Geohazards Community of Practice

… is to respond to the scientific and operational geospatial information needs for the prediction and monitoring of geological hazards, namely earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and land instability.

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recommendation to “stimulate an international and intergovernmental effort to monitor and study selected reference sites by establishing open access to relevant datasets according to GEO principles to foster the collaboration between all various partners and end-users”.

Conclusion of the 3rd international workshopThe Frascati declaration

• Supersites

• Natural laboratories

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Context

> the International Year of Planet Earth, launched at UNESCO in February 2008.

> the objectives of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) 20 years requirements

> the Committee on Earth Observations Satellites (CEOS) action plan related to the GEO disaster societal benefit area.

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GEOSS objectives

> Improve and Coordinate Observation Systems

> Provide Easier & More Open Data Access

> Foster Use (Science, Applications, Capacity Building)

> … to answer Society’s need for informed decision making

Statement made by Prof. Jose Achache, Director of the GEO Secretariat, during the opening of the 3rd International Geohazards Workshop

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Supersites Concept

> Objective : to facilitate access to the space and in-situ data of a certain number of regional areas exposed to geological threats

> In the long term, each Supersite should consist of a multinational consortium providing :

• a regional center of expertise and data analysis focused upon the particular region’s geohazards

• an overview and guidance in the development and operation of the regional research infrastructure, including instrument networks and data systems

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EarthquakeSeismic monitoring

TopographySoil behaviorHydrogeology

VolcanoTopography

Seismic monitoringDeformation

Gases

Ground InstabilityTopographyDeformation

Hydrogeology

BoreholesGeological structure

InSAR images Seismologicalstations

Geo-referenced data

GPS

« Supersites initiative »: Geohazards observations« Supersites initiative »: Geohazards observations

+ TsunamiTopographyBathymetry

Seismic monitoringBuoys…

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> First step to implement the Supersites approach :

• to facilitate access to data over a certain number of regional areas.

> To be eligible as a Supersite, a regional area should meet at least one of the following criteria:

• populations and elements are exposed to geological threats

• an event is expected to occur in the near future, or a slow process is already ongoing

• it should be an appropriate place to stimulate basic geohazard research (earthquakes hazards, landslides, volcanoes, hydro-geological processes) and relative sea level rise

• it should be an appropriate place to support the development of InSAR/PS processing software and their integration with other in-situ data (GEO task DI-06-03)

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List of sites for the trial phase (available ESA SAR data)

> Earthquakes: Los Angeles - San Francisco (USA), North Anatolian fault - Istanbul (Turkey), Tokyo (Japan)

> Volcanoes: Hawaï (USA), Etna, Vesuvius (Italy)

During phase 2, other Supersites will be chosen through an open process across the Geohazards Community of Practice.

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> Useful data for Supersites are listed in the Geohazards Earth Observation Requirements (BRGM RP 55719 FR, August 2007). SAR, GPS, levelling, seismometers, high resolution optical imagery, inclinometers, piezometers, boreholes, ground penetration radar, etc…

> While it is necessary to collect many geophysical data or metadata over each Supersite, it is proposed that the first step consists in facilitating the access of SAR data to the Geohazards Communities of practice.

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Contributions

> ESA the longest remote sensed C-band SAR data archive

> UNAVCO 2 activities it supports : WinSAR and GeoEarthScope, which manage InSAR satellite tasking and data acquisition for geodetic, imaging of crustal deformation.

Other organisations have expressed their interest in contributing to this effort and to provide data over some Supersites. (UNAVCO, INGV, BRGM, USGS, research universities)

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IGOS Geohazards role

> Coordination of the scientific use of the SAR data across the Geohazards community of practice, and interface with ESA with respect to specific requirements, new data demands and satellite tasking. This means:

• being Principal Investigator (PI) for each set of “Supersites” SAR data

• offering an easy process for users to submit “mini” Cat1: each user is then co-PI for the set of data

• regulating and monitoring the use of data and forwarding outcome (publications, reports) to ESA

• representing the Geohazards users toward ESA, supporting ESA in defining the background mission

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http://www.igosgeohazards.org

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Thank you