Smart Decision Support Systems for Volcanic Applications

The huge amount of information coming from remote sensors on satellites has allowed
monitoring changes in the planetary environment from about 50 years. These instruments are widely
adopted to observe extreme thermal events such as eruptive phenomena in volcanic areas. Although
the availability of so many different infrared sensors makes these instruments suitable to observe
different kind of thermal phenomena, choosing the right infrared sensor to monitor each thermal
event is not straightforward. In fact, the decision should take into account both the main features of
the phenomena under investigation, e.g., its size and temperatures, that are often not known a priori,
and the instruments specifications, e.g., spatial resolution. Here, a smart decision support system
(SDSS) is proposed to address this task. In particular, we used a SDSS to simulate remote sensors
responses, collect data coming from three different classes of remote sensors, retrieve information
about the main features of the observed thermal event and, consequently, select the most suitable
infrared remote sensor for the specific observed phenomena. Results obtained for a real case of study
at Etna volcano is shown.