ITD: A Multi-Camera system for permanent and real-time visible, thermal and gas monitoring at restless volcanoes

This project aims at developing a novel Multi-Camera system for the permanent observation of active volcanoes. This innovative system will save on cost, power consumption, data volume and image analysis time by experts, compared to current capacities. The system will continuously monitor the volcano in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet ranges and autonomously determine when to capture videos in each wavelength using automated image analysis. Subsequently, the system will analyze these videos to extract vital monitoring parameters, including the quantity of gas and ash emitted by the volcano, as well as the frequency and intensity of explosive events. This information will not only advance volcano forecasting efforts but also contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to volcanic eruptions. The majority of volcanoes exhibit early signs of unrest before a major eruption, which may include increased degassing, incandescence, or a higher frequency of explosions. However, in many instances, these critical indicators go unrecorded. The development of an integrated Multi-Camera system designed for visual, thermal, and gas monitoring is proposed. This system can be deployed for continuous and real-time monitoring of active volcanoes, even in remote areas where power and data transfer capabilities are severely limited. Besides the combined observation in three spectral ranges and the low cost of the proposed system, its novelty resides in its edge-computing approach whereby image processing is done by the system and parameters such as event detection, plume height, volume, ascent rate and SO2 flux are calculated automatically. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.