EUROVOLC tool for citizen science observations of volcanic phenomena

Abstract

One of the aims of EUROVOLC is to raise awareness and share data by exploiting existing tools for hazard and risk. Here we present the ongoing effort within EUROVOLC WP12 to create an online tool to collect information from people witnessing volcanic events at European or other volcanoes.

In the recent past, building on the experience from earthquakes, and from the trans-national effects of Eyjafallajökull eruption, European research groups have built tools (e.g. questionnaires or apps) for facilitating the collection of data by citizens. These efforts are presently fragmented and sparse across Europe (and across the world).

As the first step we have conducted a reconnaissance survey of existing citizen science tools in volcanology (from operational and research projects), available for download through EUROVOLC website

One of the aims of EUROVOLC is to raise awareness and share data by exploiting existing tools for hazard and risk. Here we present the ongoing effort within EUROVOLC WP12 to create an online tool to collect information from people witnessing volcanic events at European or other volcanoes.

In the recent past, building on the experience from earthquakes, and from the trans-national effects of Eyjafallajökull eruption, European research groups have built tools (e.g. questionnaires or apps) for facilitating the collection of data by citizens. These efforts are presently fragmented and sparse across Europe (and across the world).

As the first step we have conducted a reconnaissance survey of existing citizen science tools in volcanology (from operational and research projects), available for download through EUROVOLC website.

The new EUROVOLC tool will: - access and collate data collected by several pre-existing tools. These tools currently include ‘myVolcano’ by British Geological Survey; sulphur dioxide and ash recording tools by Iceland Met Office; Osservatorio Vesuviano web questionnaire & Tefranet by INGV-Catania. These tools were selected based on whether their data can be ‘pulled’ in real-time; - allow additional tools to be incorporated as they become available; - allow recording of new data by the users; - allow visualizing on a map the data in which the users are interested in, that can be selected by region/country, by recording time, or by observed phenomenon; - allow downloading the data in which the users are interested in In this way, the users of EUROVOLC tool will have access to observations collected by the multiple tools available across EUROPE through a single access point. The EUROVOLC tool will become available in July 2020.