The OGS–Northeastern Italy Seismic and Deformation Network: Current Status and Outlook

Abstract

Abstract In this article, we describe the infrastructure developed and managed by the Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS for the seismological and geodetic monitoring of northeastern Italy. The infrastructure was constituted in response to the ML 6.4 Friuli destructive earthquake of 1976, with the main mandate of supporting civil protection emergency activities. The OGS monitoring infrastructure is presently composed of a seismometric and a strong-motion network, complemented by a number of Global Navigation Satellite Systems stations, each delivering observational data in real time, which are collected and processed by the headquarters of the Center for Seismological Research of OGS in Udine. The OGS networks operate in close cooperation with Italian and international networks from neighboring countries, within the framework of the agreements for real-time data exchange, to obtain improved rapid earthquake location and magnitude estimations. Information regarding seismic events is released to the public through a dedicated web portal and, since 2013, through social media. Aside from the standard monitoring activities (>30,000 events have been recorded since 1976), the OGS has progressively increased the number of services to the public and to the Civil Protection of the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions. The high availability of good quality data has resulted in the enhancement of scientific products, including advanced seismological studies of the area, spanning broadly from seismic source characterization to engineering seismology. In the future, the OGS networks are expected to further contribute to the development of seismological research and monitoring infrastructures of the Central European region.