Geohazard Supersites

The Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories initiative – GSNL

The GSNL initiative is a voluntary international partnership aiming to improve, through an Open Science approach, geophysical scientific research and geohazard assessment, promoting rapid and effective uptake of the new scientific results for enhanced societal benefits in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

The GSNL goal is pursued promoting broad international scientific collaboration and open access to a variety of space- and ground-based data, focusing on areas with important scientific problems and high risk levels: the Supersites and the Natural Laboratories. For these areas a joint effort is carried out: the CEOS¹ space agencies provide satellite imagery at no cost for scientific use, the monitoring agencies² provide access to ground-based data, the global scientific community exploits these data to generate state of the art scientific results.

The coordination of each Supersite is normally assumed by one or more local geohazard scientific institutions which are part of a national, authoritative framework able to provide information for science-based decision making in DRR (either for Prevention or Emergency response). GSNL supports a leading role by the local scientific community to stimulate a coordinated international collaboration, focusing on the aspects which have the highest potential to benefit DRR actions.

GSNL works as a network, and aims to connect the Supersites and Natural Laboratories promoting transfer of knowledge, data, personnel, tools, as well as best practices for optimal uptake of scientific results.

GSNL objectives

• to enable the global scientific community with open, full and easy access to a variety of space- and ground-based data over the Supersites and the Natural Laboratories;
• to promote advancements in geohazard science over the selected sites;
• to promote rapid uptake of scientific results by DRR stakeholders and decision makers;
• to innovate technologies, processes, and communication models, enhancing data sharing, global scientific collaboration, and capacity building in geohazard science.

Stakeholders and their interests

There are three main types of stakeholders involved in each Supersite or Natural Laboratory:

• The data providers (for in situ and EO data). They support the initiative to promote their activities, demonstrating the societal benefits of the data they produce. They commit specific in kind resources, and then periodically review the accomplishments through their role in the GSNL organization. The CEOS¹ space agencies and the national monitoring agencies² are the most important data providers.
• The global geohazard scientific community. Within a Supersite community, scientists can access thousands of satellite images and important in situ datasets (seismic, geodetic, geologic, geochemical, etc.), which they can exploit in the collaborative framework to improve their knowledge and contribute results of direct societal benefit in DRR. Furthermore, thanks to the increased visibility and DRR focus, Supersite scientific research may benefit from specific funding lines at national or international level.
• The final users of the geohazard scientific information. This category includes public risk reduction agencies, policy makers at various scales, and in general all subjects who can benefit from science-based decision making in DRR. They are involved by the local scientific community (Supersite coordinator), provide recommendations for priority research topics, and obtain information useful for risk management.

The GSNL network

In November 2018 the GSNL network is composed of ten Permanent Supersites and one Natural Laboratory:

Permanent Supersite	Coordinator	Coordinator institution	Date established	End-user
Hawaiian volcanoes	M. Poland	USGS, USA	October 2012	Hawai’I County Civil Defense, Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park
Icelandic volcanoes	F. Sigmundsson, K. Vogfjord	University of Iceland and IMO, Iceland	November 2013	Icelandic Police – Dep.t of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, Environmental Agency of Iceland, Directorate of Health
Mt.Etna volcano	G. Puglisi	INGV, Italy	April 2014	National Department of Civil Protection, Regional Civil Defense
Campi Flegrei & Vesuvius volcano	S. Borgstrom	INGV, Italy	April 2014	National Department of Civil Protection, Regional Civil Defense
Marmara Fault	S. Ergintav	KOERI, Turkey	April 2014	Istanbul municipality
Ecuadorian volcanoes	P. Mothes	IGEPN, Ecuador	October 2014	Secretariat for Risk Management, Regional governments, Municipalities
Taupo volcanic zone, NZ	N. Fournier, I. Hamling	GNS Science, New Zealand	October 2014	Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, Department of Conservation, Regional councils, MetService
Gulf of Corinth- Ionian Islands	A. Savvaidis	ITSAK, Greece	November 2016	EPPO, Greek Civil Defense
San Andreas Fault Natural Laboratory	C. Wicks	USGS, USA	April 2017	California Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, plus many other local stakeholders
Southern Andes Volcanoes	L. Lara	SERNAGEOMIN, Chile	October 2017	ONEMI (Oficina Nacional de Emergencias), under the Ministry of Interior and Public Safety
Virunga volcanoes	C. Balagizi	Goma Volcano Observatory, D.R. of Congo	October 2017	DRC Civil Protection, NGOs for Emergency and Disaster Management, also in Rwanda, Virunga National Park offices

In addition, Event Supersites are established following strong magnitude earthquakes or eruptions (e.g. the Tohoku or Gorkha earthquakes); for them the data provision is guaranteed only for about one year after the event.

Our partnership

Visit our website at: www.geo-gsnl.org
Contacts: info@geo-gsnl.org