Collaboration strengthened to develop advanced solutions based on supercomputing, AI, and data management to support natural hazard monitoring and early warning systems.
It took place at the DAMA Technopole of Bologna an institutional meeting between theIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and CINECA, aimed at strengthening scientific and technological collaboration between the two institutions in the fields of seismic monitoring, tsunami warning, high-performance scientific computing (HPC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and advanced digital infrastructures.
The meeting was attended, for INGV, by the President Fabio Florindo, Salvatore Stramondo, Director of the Earthquake Department, Tomaso Esposti Ongaro, Director of the Pisa Section and INGV delegate in the CINECA Consortium Assembly, Stefano Lorito, Coordinator of the Tsunami Warning Center (CAT), Emmanuel Casarotti, Coordinator of the Center for Computational Geosciences, Alfonso Giovanni Mandiello, Head of the Functional Unit “Data Acquisition, Control and Distribution”, Matteo Quintiliani, Head of the Functional Unit “Scientific Developments and Operations for Seismic Surveillance”, and Stefano Cacciaguerra, Head of the IT Services Center and member of the Board of Directors of the Big Data Association. Representing CINECA were the President Francesco Ubertini, Gabriella Scipione, Director of the HPC Department, Chiara Dellacasa, Head of “Data and AI Services”, Giorgio Amati, Head of “Computational Fluidodynamics”, Piero Lanucara, Head of “Earth Sciences” e Matteo Angelinelli, TCTO of the IT4LIA AI Factory project.
The visit provided an opportunity for strategic discussion on the prospects for collaboration between INGV and CINECA, with particular attention to the development of innovative solutions for seismic surveillance, tsunami warning, urgent computing, the management of large amounts of scientific data, and the application of Artificial Intelligence to Earth Sciences.
During the visit, the first concrete steps of a shared roadmap were discussed, with the support of the Department of Civil Protection and in relation to the evolution of the national public warning system. IT-alert due to the risk of a tsunami.
“The operational integration between Cloud, High Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence today represents a fundamental element of national interest,” said Stefano Lorito, Coordinator of the INGV Tsunami Warning Center. “In this context, CINECA's role is crucial in supporting the evolution of surveillance and monitoring systems and in strengthening risk communication to citizens, ensuring they remain fully aligned with the rapid technological developments linked to the advent of Artificial Intelligence."
The INGV, a component of the National Civil Protection System, conducts 24/7 seismic surveillance throughout the country and tsunami warnings from its Operations Room in Rome. The Tsunami Warning Center operates from this facility, contributing to the tsunami risk warning system in the Mediterranean area, in coordination with the Department of Civil Protection and international reference systems.
CINECA manages one of the main national and European infrastructures for supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and technical-scientific support for research. In this context, the DAMA-Tecnopolo - Emilia-Romagna Manufacturing Data Center in Bologna It is a reference hub for the country's advanced digital infrastructure.
An element of particular note is the presence of a INGV Data Processing Center inside the DAMA-TecnopoloThis location represents a strategic strength, as it allows the Institute to operate in physical and logical proximity to the main national ICT infrastructures and, ultimately, to access cutting-edge computing, storage, and digital services systems directly from within the Technopole ecosystem.
The initiative was also at the centre of the meeting AI Factory, co-financed by EuroHPC JU, the Ministry of University and Research and the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), of which CINECA is the hosting institution within the project IT4LIAThis is an AI-focused infrastructure designed to support research, public administrations, and the manufacturing system. In this context, potential synergies with INGV specifically concern the integrated use of AI, HPC, and data analytics techniques to enhance monitoring systems, real-time analysis of geophysical data, and the development of advanced scientific workflows.
“The evolution of HPC technologies and Artificial Intelligence represents an extraordinary opportunity to innovate the monitoring of natural phenomena and risk management", he has declared Fabio Florindo, President of INGV. “The collaboration with CINECA also fits into the framework of the growing investment by INGV within ICSC – National Research Center in High Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum ComputingThis allows the Institute to participate more effectively in defining the Center's technological and scientific priorities, strengthening its ability to identify project opportunities and contribute to the development of strategic digital infrastructures for national research.
INGV and CINECA have been collaborating for over twenty years on strategic national and international projects in the fields of supercomputing, digital infrastructure, and advanced scientific applications. Their shared goal today is to consolidate a stable collaboration, focused on both the medium term and short-term operational actions, capable of integrating scientific expertise, HPC and AI infrastructure, data management systems, and civil protection applications.
The process also opens up further opportunities for collaboration, which could later be extended to the activities of the INGV Volcanoes Department and the Environment Department, leveraging their respective expertise within the same path of scientific and technological integration.
Useful links:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
CINECA
DAMA Technopole of Bologna
ICSC – National Research Center in High Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing
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The institutional meeting between theIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), in the presence of President Fabio Florindo and CINECA.