Expected achievements/impact

The project ROBOVOLC requires both robotic and volcanology expertise. The involved partners have a recognised expertise in Europe as regards Service robotics both  for industrial and academic aspects. The two research institutes involved are among the most important research institutes on volcanology in Europe. The proposed project needs the complementary expertise that these partners together can offer and that cannot be found in a single country. The problem of volcano monitoring and forecasting is a large problem and is common to more than one European country which emphasises the need for pan-European co-operation in the RTD.

The social cost of an eruptions such as 1992-93 eruption at Mt. Etna (Italy) and the ongoing eruption at Monserrat Island (UK) actually is carried out by a single European country but in case of very large eruptions as that expected at Vesuvius, costs can cover a considerable portion of gross internal product of a single country, it will be shared among the whole European Communities. In this way the improving of volcano monitoring technologies and eruption forecasting capabilities should collect the contribution of complementary expertise existing in different organisations of the European Communities.

Arising from the RTD co-operation, further co-operation in exploiting the results of the project will be generated. Between the two industrial partners they have extensive European networks with other companies which will enable them to extend the European dimension beyond the project duration.

This project will enable us to improve knowledge of volcanic activities especially during dangerous active phases. In this way the safety of volcanologists employed in collecting such a kind of measurement will considerably improve.

Historically many scientists studying eruptions from unsafe places suffered serious injuries. In the last decade alone, due to both the unpredictable timing and to the magnitude of   volcanic phenomena, several volcanologists have died surveying eruptions.

The improvement in the working conditions for volcanologists that are directly involved in the monitoring of dangerous eruptive activity will enhance the systematic study of these phenomena for which until now data are not yet available.

Another important aspect to be considered concerns the improvement in the anticipatory capability  of the volcanic activity by way of continuous updating during  eruptive phenomena also when they become very dangerous for volcanologists.

This could improve volcanic risk assessment contributing to an integrated risk management system for obtaining an almost real-time early warning, useful to Civil Protection authorities to inform and protect citizen from dangerous volcanic eruption consequences. This will lead to huge savings in potential losses caused by damage to buildings, land, equipment, livestock and injury to humans.

From this point of view the proposed project will contribute to achieve a very important social objective of the Community: the improving of the safety, and in general the quality of life, of the people living around active volcanoes located in the European countries.