Near Fault Observatories (NFOs) focus on understanding fault mechanics and earthquake generation through multidisciplinary data collection and observations. These observatories monitor seismic activities on fault zones, aiming to unravel the processes leading to earthquakes.

Infrastructure and Collaborative Framework
The Thematic Core Service for Near Fault Observatories (TCS-NFO) integrates data from eight NFOs in Europe (8 permanent members), located in seismic regions such as Italy, Republic of Türkiye, Romania, Switzerland, Greece, and Slovenia. These observatories provide data on geodesy, geochemistry, seismology, and geology to study seismogenic faults and facilitate scientific collaboration.

Applications and Societal Impact
NFOs advance our understanding of earthquake mechanics and aid in developing early warning systems for rapid earthquake detection and magnitude estimation. This data is crucial for improving earthquake forecasting and risk mitigation strategies, benefiting societies in seismically active regions.

Tools and Platforms
The TCS-NFO provides access to multidisciplinary data from monitoring networks, including surface and borehole sensors. Advanced techniques like Artificial Intelligence and scientific deep drilling enhance data analysis and innovation in earthquake research. These data and products are accessible through EPOS harmonized community portals, including FRIDGE and CREW. FRIDGE (European NFO Federated specific data and products gateway and Virtual Laboratory) provides users with a common gateway to discover, visualize, and download NFO data and products, integrated into the EPOS DATA PORTAL. CREW (European Testing Centre for Early Warning and Source Characterization), an Earthquake Early Warning systems testing facility, evaluates its performance using real-time NFO data and reports the results via a web interface.

Future Goals and Aspirations
The TCS-NFO aims to foster international collaboration, integrate novel scientific products, and promote the use of cutting-edge technologies. Expanding data-sharing initiatives will strengthen global efforts to study and mitigate seismic hazards.

Near-Fault Observatories (NFOs) continuously integrate and harmonise data, scientific products, and services within the EPOS frame. The NFO community relies on both their own services and different Thematic Core Services (TCSs) for access to a wide range of raw data and products.
Seismological data (waveforms, earthquake parameters and strainmeters), geodetic data (information from GNSS stations), geological maps, satellite data, and geochemical data have distinct data formats and metadata. The TCS NFO works to link the most diverse data collected by individual NFOs into a network of observatories with common monitoring standards, protocols for observation and data access and distribution channels. These multidisciplinary data and products are then integrated, stored and distributed within TCS NFO services, thus facilitating research.

FRIDGE

FRIDGE is the NFO community common portal for all the different NFOs’ data and products, where users can discover all the available data and download the NFO specific data and high-level data products. All the TCS NFO services for multidisciplinary data and scientific products discovery and access are supported by standard formats and proper metadata descriptions.

FRIDGE hosts a virtual environment, common to all the EU Near Fault Observatories, with simple visualisation tools for multidisciplinary data. It allows users to better understand the level of knowledge about the anatomy and attitude of the studied faults as well the comparison of multidisciplinary data collected in the same time interval and location.

CREW

NFOs are key facilities in the effective risk mitigation of earthquakes since they continuously monitor seismic activity near faults. CREW, the EU Testing Center for Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) and Source Characterization, is a facility that ingests real-time data and evaluates the performances of EEWs, based on the accuracy in the earthquake characterization (in terms of detection, location, magnitude estimation and ground motion prediction) and on the rapidness of the alert.

The CREW is hosted by the Irpinia NFO, which is based on Virtual Machines, where all tested software can run with the same resources for fair comparison. A web interface reports the results of the performance evaluation. This information will help the community to build the next generation of real-time EEW systems for real-time risk mitigation.

The TCS NFO Consortium integrates multiple organizations across Europe to provide coordinated, standardized data and services for the study of active fault zones and earthquake genesis. The consortium represents a collaborative network of nine member organizations and three observer organizations, contributing to the long-term sustainability of near-fault observatories (NFOs). By fostering transnational cooperation and harmonizing multidisciplinary monitoring practices, the consortium enables seamless access to high-quality data and innovative research opportunities.
● 12 Member Organizations from 7 countries

LEADERSHIP

● Chair(s):
o Lauro Chiaraluce – INGV (Chair of the Executive Committee).
o Gaetano Festa – UNINA (Chair of the Consortium Board).
o Alexandru Marmureanu (Chair of the Service Committee).

CONSORTIUM COMPOSITION

● Member Organizations:
○ Italy
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (UNINA).
Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS).
Università degli Studi di Trieste (UNITR).
○ France
National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS.
○ Greece
University of Patras (UPA).
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).
National Observatory of Athens (NOA).
○ Romania
National Institute for Research and Development of Earth Physics (INFP).
○ Switzerland
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).
○ Republic of Türkiye
Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI).
○ Slovenia
Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU).

CONTACT

● Leadership:
o Lauro Chiaraluce – INGV (Chair of the Executive Committee) - lauro.chiaraluce@ingv.it
o Gaetano Festa – UNINA (Chair of the Consortium Board) - gaetano.festa@unina.it
o Alexandru Marmureanu - INFP (Chair of the Service Committee) - marmura@infp.ro

The NFO is a Thematic Core Service (TCS) within EPOS's functional architecture, facilitating transnational governance frameworks for data and services. The NFO TCS coordinates common rules through the Consortium Agreement, harmonizing the community for long-term sustainability. National Research Infrastructures (NRIs) complexity is managed at the NFO level, with service providers adhering to EPOS data policy for data distribution on behalf of data owners.