EPOS Thematic Core Service Anthropogenic Hazards in the operational phase

Abstract

The problem of hazards induced by the exploitation of geo-resources focuses growing interest of science, industry, public administration, non-governmental organisations and the general public. Anthropogenic seismicity, i.e. the undesired dynamic rock mass response to geo-resources exploitation, is one of the examples of unwanted by-products of the technological operation of humans. The socio-economic impact of the induced seismicity is very significant. Induced earthquakes can cause material loss, injuries and even fatalities. Restricted access to data constitutes a barrier to assessing and mitigating the associated hazards. To respond to the need of the scientific community the Thematic Core Service Anthropogenic Hazards (TCS AH) has been created within the framework of the European Plate Observing System, a solid earth science European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). TCS AH is an open consortium of 13 European institutions. TCS AH provides access to a novel e-research infrastructure, the EPISODES Platform (former name: IS-EPOS platform) to foster both research and training on induced seismicity and geo-hazards related to the exploration and exploitation of geo-resources. The EPISODES Platform is connected to international data nodes which offer open access to multidisciplinary datasets, called episodes. Episodes comprise geoscientific and associated data from industrial activity along with a large set of embedded applications for their efficient data processing, analysis and visualization. The EPISODES Platform opens also the possibility to create new applications and combine implemented applications with the user's codes. The team-working features of the EPISODES Platform facilitate collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific research, public understanding of science, citizen science applications, knowledge dissemination, and the teaching of anthropogenic hazards related to geo-resource exploitation. This study presents the current results of the TCS AH research infrastructure integration and also indicates the benefits of their usage for science, education, and innovation.