Monitoring Networks 
Monitoring Networks 
Operations room of the Etna ObservatoryThe surveillance and monitoring service of the Sicilian volcanic areas are carried out by the Etna Observatory (INGV-OE), in support of the Civil Protection bodies. This service is provided 24 hours a day, especially through the functions of the Operations Room, which communicates seismic and volcanic events to the National and Regional Civil Protection Department in real time, providing potential hazard scenarios.
The Palermo Section also contributes to the surveillance activities of Sicilian volcanoes through the geochemical monitoring of the fluid phases released by these devices and associated geothermal systems. Surveillance is carried out both by means of periodic "discreet" samplings, with subsequent chemical-isotopic analyses, and by continuously acquired measurements recorded by automatic multi-parameter stations.
The Operations Room of the Etna Observatory in Catania is the operational structure in which the signals acquired by the multi-parameter monitoring networks positioned on the Sicilian volcanoes converge: Etna, the Aeolian Islands (with a particular concentration of instruments in Stromboli and Vulcano), and Pantelleria. Here the data is displayed using advanced technical methods and processed in advance, in order to make short-term forecasts on the possible behavior of the monitored volcanic areas.
The monitoring systems of the EO's areas of competence are represented by a set of sophisticated instruments (seismic, geodetic, gravimetric, geochemical, video and geomagnetic) distributed throughout the territory to acquire information on variations in the state of activity or inactivity of volcanic apparatuses. The ability to recognize significant variations in the parameters acquired directly derives from the quality and efficiency of these systems.
The data collected by these technological systems, in addition to representing the fulcrum of the INGV-OE surveillance service for the definition of the "current" state of each volcanic system, constitute a vast and solid knowledge base for the modeling and simulation of possible future eruptive scenarios of the observed volcanoes.
The 24-hour surveillance activity in the OE Operations Room is carried out through a cycle of three daily shifts, each consisting of two suitably trained personnel. If necessary, the Operations Room staff is assisted by other expert staff, in weekly on-call shifts.
The staff on duty in the Operations Room have the task of checking the progress of the main parameters that characterize the activity in the areas of competence of the Etna Observatory, detected by the continuous monitoring systems present in the area. All significant changes are communicated to the competent bodies according to decision-making grids and timings which are rigidly codified in the agreement stipulated with the Civil Protection Department.
Since June 2014, it has also been the task of the Operations Room to issue the VONA (Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation) messaging, which constitutes the notification system of the activity of the Etna volcano and the related impact on aviation safety produced by the possible emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere .
All press releases, VONA messages and bulletins on the activity of the EO's areas of competence are published on the Section website at the same time as they are issued.
For further information on the surveillance of Sicilian volcanoes, see:
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