The Italian Platform for Solid Earth Science (IPSES) serves as a federated access point to a vast wealth of scientific data and products. Their generation is made possible by an ecosystem of advanced research infrastructures, enhanced and networked within the PNRR MEET project.
These infrastructures, managed by Italy’s leading research institutions and universities, operate in synergy for the acquisition and analysis of multidisciplinary data. Their purpose is to enable a systematic study of the geodynamic processes that shape our planet.
Scientific data can be classified according to the Data Processing Levels (DPL), as defined within EPOS ERIC. The research infrastructures generate base data (raw or minimally processed, DPL 0-1), which constitute the raw material for advanced scientific analysis. By processing this fundamental data, the scientific community produces higher-level Scientific Products (DPL 2-3), such as models, catalogues, and publications, which are also accessible through IPSES.
Monitoring Networks: fundamental observational data (DPL 0-1)
Monitoring networks are distributed systems of stations and sensors dedicated to the continuous recording of geophysical and geochemical parameters. These networks provide the essential flow of observational data (DPL 0-1) that serves as the basis for territorial surveillance and for the quantitative modeling of geodynamic processes.
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Seismic and Accelerometric Networks: acquire ground motion data for the characterization of seismicity and seismic sources.
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Geodetic Networks (GNSS): measure the displacement fields of the Earth’s surface with high precision.
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Volcanological Networks: integrate various monitoring techniques for the surveillance and study of active volcanic systems.
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Hydrogeochemical Networks: detect physico-chemical variations in crustal fluids, which are sensitive indicators of tectonic and volcanic processes.
Experimental and Analytical Laboratories: data for understanding processes (DPL 0-1)
While monitoring networks provide observational data, laboratories generate experimental and analytical data (DPL 0-1) that are indispensable for understanding physical and chemical processes. The Integrated Laboratories for Geosciences and Environment (ILGE) network brings together expertise and instrumentation to conduct analyses on samples, perform simulations of geological processes, and develop innovative methodologies, providing crucial data for the calibration and validation of numerical models.
Dedicated Multidisciplinary Observatories: high-resolution data (DPL 0-1)
Observatories are research infrastructures focused on selected areas of significant scientific interest. They are characterized by a high density of multidisciplinary instrumentation that allows for the study of geological processes with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, generating exceptionally detailed streams of base data (DPL 0-1).
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Near-Fault Observatories: located in areas of high seismic activity (e.g., Irpinia, Messina Strait), they are aimed at studying the processes of earthquake preparation and occurrence.
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Far-Fault Observatory: a site with very low seismic noise in Sardinia, designed for recording faint geophysical signals.
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High-Altitude Observatory: the Pizzi Deneri observatory on Mount Etna, the highest in Europe, provides a privileged site for the proximal monitoring of volcanic activity.
Marine and Satellite Observation Infrastructures: large-scale data (DPL 0-1)
Understanding geodynamic phenomena requires the integration of data acquired at different scales. The Platform for Earth Observation from Space (PEOS) processes satellite data to monitor large-scale phenomena. Concurrently, marine infrastructures, such as DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) systems, extend monitoring capabilities to the marine domain. Both provide fundamental observational data (DPL 0-1) that, once processed, contribute to higher-level products.
Scientific Products (DPL 2-3)
This category represents the final result of the research process, namely the processing, analysis, and interpretation of the base data (DPL 0-1) generated by the infrastructures. Scientific products are high value-added resources, validated by the scientific community, which transform raw observations into structured knowledge, such as interpretative models and hazard scenarios.
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Level 2 Products (DPL 2): these include processed and validated datasets such as crustal models, strain maps and earthquake source models.
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Level 3 Products (DPL 3): they represent the highest level of scientific abstraction, interpretation and integration of a variety of different data products derived from complex analyses or shared by the community, requiring collaborative processes over a considerable period of time, as in the case of hazard models or catalogues of seismogenic faults and palaeoseismic events.
The integration of data and products at different processing levels through IPSES allows the scientific community to cover the entire research cycle: from accessing raw data for new analyses to consulting and reusing consolidated scientific products, thereby promoting the advancement of knowledge in the field of Earth Sciences.