The mission of the Centre for Geohazard Observations is to install, maintain, and manage the EOS’s geohazard observation networks in and around Southeast Asia. It aims to achieve high serviceability of the networks to consistently record quality data necessary to the fundamental research conducted by the Observatory.
Supporting Scientific Research
The Centre for Geohazard Observations (CGO) installs, maintains, and manages the Earth Observatory of Singapore’s (EOS) geophysical and other field instrumentation stations and networks spread over several countries in and around Southeast Asia. The CGO also conducts geophysical surveys in aid of research, providing support in various technical matters that include the acquisition, computing, and archiving of geophysical data. The Centre strives to provide an innovative and conducive technological environment for our scientists both in the field and in the laboratory.
In providing effective technical and research support to the Observatory, CGO works closely with the Observatory researchers. Scientific requirements as well as technical and operational constrains are fully considered in all implementation and maintenance plans. CGO also works closely with our Southeast Asia collaborators, aiming to strengthen and expand the relationship to advance the regional geohazard research community.
The Centre is involved in:
GPS Operation
The two major continuous Global Positioning System (cGPS) networks in South and Southeast Asia that the CGO maintains are the Sumatran GPS Array (SuGAR) and the Myanmar-India-Bangladesh-Bhutan (MIBB) GPS array. The information collected from these networks can potentially improve tsunami warning systems after a major earthquake event.
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Seismic Operation
Seismic networks monitor earthquakes and volcanic activities in real time and are linked to the cGPS stations. The CGO works closely with other research institutes to operate these networks. Our collaborators include the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM). The Observatory provides important information about current tectonic and volcanic activities, and work with our international collaborators to understand earthquakes and volcanic activity that occur in the region.
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LiDAR-Based Surveying
Terrestrial LiDAR is a ground-based laser scanning technique that provides real topography in ultra-high resolution for areas spanning up to several kilometres. The CGO has also carried out airborne-LiDAR surveys in Nepal and Myanmar. This technique is ideal for regional high-resolution surveys.
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Ground-penetrating Radar (GPR) is a technique that uses high-frequency radio waves to image the subsurface of the Earth. This technique is often used by our scientists to study sediment deposits related to coastal hazards in Southeast Asia.
The infrasound monitoring system employed by EOS was first used to monitor volcanic eruptions from Indonesia. This monitoring system detects low-frequency sound waves, and the data collected will provide information on the location and explosivity of the eruption, allowing our scientists to determine the impact of volcanic ash on air traffic in and around Singapore.
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys provide detailed information of temporal landscape changes, post-disaster landscape, and potentially high-resolution digital terrain models acquired from aerial photos taken from the drone. Our scientists use a combination of techniques, including images taken from the UAV, to investigate faults and volcanic activities.
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys provide detailed information of temporal landscape changes, post disaster landscape, and potentially high-resolution digital terrain models acquired from aerial photos taken from the drone. Our scientists use a combination of techniques, including images taken from the UAV, to investigate faults and volcanic activities.
This technique provides detailed aerial investigation of the temporal landscape changes, the rapid response of the post disaster assessment, it also provide us the chance of generating the high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) from the aerial photos taken from the drones.
The rapid-developed small UAV system (Drone) brings a new era of low-altitude unmanned aerial survey. Researchers at EOS have quickly adopted this technique, and applied it to volcanic and tectonic-related geomorphological studies.
The CGO has the capacity of using the drone to conduct aerial surveys, and is capable of acquiring...
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys provide detailed information of temporal landscape changes, post disaster landscape, and potentially high-resolution digital terrain models acquired from aerial photos taken from the drone. Our scientists use a combination of techniques, including images taken from the UAV, to investigate faults and volcanic activities.
This technique provides detailed aerial investigation of the temporal landscape changes, the rapid response of the post disaster assessment, it also provide us the chance of generating the high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) from the aerial photos taken from the drones.
The rapid-developed small UAV system (Drone) brings a new era of low-altitude unmanned aerial survey. Researchers at EOS have quickly adopted this technique, and applied it to volcanic and tectonic-related geomorphological studies.
The CGO has the capacity of using the drone to conduct aerial surveys, and is capable of acquiring...
Seismic Network
Seismic Network
The seismic networks, linked by a satellite-based communication system, monitor the tectonic motion in several earthquake hotspots within South and Southeast Asia, thus providing essential information for scientists to understand the earthquake potentials from these mega fault-systems on earth.
The CGO at EOS operates multiple seismic stations that monitor earthquakes and volcanic activities in real time and that can be linked with our cGPS stations. EOS works closely with other research institutes in Southeast Asia, including Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) to operate the GPS and the seismic monitoring arrays. In the international collaboration, EOS provides important information about the current tectonic and volcanic activities, and receives a solid support from these research institutes to understand the regional earthquake and volcanic-related hazards.
The CGO at EOS is...
Seismic Network
Seismic Network
The seismic networks, linked by a satellite-based communication system, monitor the tectonic motion in several earthquake hotspots within South and Southeast Asia, thus providing essential information for scientists to understand the earthquake potentials from these mega fault-systems on earth.
The CGO at EOS operates multiple seismic stations that monitor earthquakes and volcanic activities in real time and that can be linked with our cGPS stations. EOS works closely with other research institutes in Southeast Asia, including Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) to operate the GPS and the seismic monitoring arrays. In the international collaboration, EOS provides important information about the current tectonic and volcanic activities, and receives a solid support from these research institutes to understand the regional earthquake and volcanic-related hazards.
The CGO at EOS is...
Lab Volcano Facilities
Lab Volcano Facilities
The purpose of the Lab Volcanoes is to understand the timing, rates and other details of the magma supply of different volcanoes, in order to improve forecasts of future eruptions. To this end, laboratory volcanoes display very diverse monitoring tools that provide a constant flow of data.
EOS has developed volcano laboratories at Mayon (Southeast Luzon, Philippines) and Gede-Salak (West Java, Indonesia). These volcanoes span a wide range of degassing behaviours: Mayon is an openly degassing volcano, while Gede and Salak exhibit only minor degassing. The nuances on the degassing spectrum displayed by these volcanoes make them very valuable for fundamental research.
Lab Volcano Facilities
Lab Volcano Facilities
The purpose of the Lab Volcanoes is to understand the timing, rates and other details of the magma supply of different volcanoes, in order to improve forecasts of future eruptions. To this end, laboratory volcanoes display very diverse monitoring tools that provide a constant flow of data.
EOS has developed volcano laboratories at Mayon (Southeast Luzon, Philippines) and Gede-Salak (West Java, Indonesia). These volcanoes span a wide range of degassing behaviours: Mayon is an openly degassing volcano, while Gede and Salak exhibit only minor degassing. The nuances on the degassing spectrum displayed by these volcanoes make them very valuable for fundamental research.
Terrestrial LiDAR
Terrestrial LiDAR
The Earth Observatory of Singapore acquired a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) in 2010. It is a RIEGL VZ-400, with a range up to 600m at Laser class 1, a repeatability of 3mm, and a measurement rate up to 125 000 measurements per second.
The LIDAR measures the distance to a target by emitting light pulses. This instrument can scan the topography with exquisite precision. LIDAR datasets are used in tectonics to map faults and earthquake rupture offsets: the accuracy of this instrument allows researchers to constrain precisely the slip-distribution of various faults in Asia; with complementary dating, scientists can also estimate earthquake cycles on a given fault. Sedimentologists also use the LIDAR to map precisely various outcrops.
This technique provides real topography through ultra-high resolution, vegetation free images of an area as large as several square kilometers. The CGO at EOS is fully capable of acquiring and processing Ground-LiDAR data.
Since...
Terrestrial LiDAR
Terrestrial LiDAR
The Earth Observatory of Singapore acquired a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) in 2010. It is a RIEGL VZ-400, with a range up to 600m at Laser class 1, a repeatability of 3mm, and a measurement rate up to 125 000 measurements per second.
The LIDAR measures the distance to a target by emitting light pulses. This instrument can scan the topography with exquisite precision. LIDAR datasets are used in tectonics to map faults and earthquake rupture offsets: the accuracy of this instrument allows researchers to constrain precisely the slip-distribution of various faults in Asia; with complementary dating, scientists can also estimate earthquake cycles on a given fault. Sedimentologists also use the LIDAR to map precisely various outcrops.
This technique provides real topography through ultra-high resolution, vegetation free images of an area as large as several square kilometers. The CGO at EOS is fully capable of acquiring and processing Ground-LiDAR data.
Since...
Airborne LiDAR
Airborne LiDAR
EOS has developed its capability of aerial acquisition of LiDAR data (Airborne- LiDAR). The CGO has carried out airborne-LiDAR surveys in Nepal and Myanmar. Compared to the Ground-LiDAR, the Airborne-LiDAR is suitable for large-area/regional high-resolution surveys. This technique provides real topography through ultra-high resolution, vegetation free images of an area as large as several square kilometers.
Airborne LiDAR
Airborne LiDAR
EOS has developed its capability of aerial acquisition of LiDAR data (Airborne- LiDAR). The CGO has carried out airborne-LiDAR surveys in Nepal and Myanmar. Compared to the Ground-LiDAR, the Airborne-LiDAR is suitable for large-area/regional high-resolution surveys. This technique provides real topography through ultra-high resolution, vegetation free images of an area as large as several square kilometers.
Geotouch
Geotouch
GeoTouch is a multi-touch display and information portal developed by the Earth Observatory of Singapore. It is a useful tool to visualize GIS content on a large multi-touch screen. A natural multi-touch interface allows the user to pan, zoom and 3D rotate maps and layers on display using touch to examine geographic and geological information.
More information on GeoTouch here.
Geotouch
Geotouch
GeoTouch is a multi-touch display and information portal developed by the Earth Observatory of Singapore. It is a useful tool to visualize GIS content on a large multi-touch screen. A natural multi-touch interface allows the user to pan, zoom and 3D rotate maps and layers on display using touch to examine geographic and geological information.
More information on GeoTouch here.
Fieldwork Blog
New Seismic Network Sheds Light on Myanmar’s Tectonic Activity
New Seismic Network Sheds Light on Myanmar’s Tectonic Activity
20 Nov 2017Scientists have long known that Myammar is tectonically vulnerable. But only recently, says Dr Paramesh Banerjee, have they been able to understand the full extent of the country’s seismic activity.
This new insight is made possible by the new Myanmar Seismic Network (MSN), established earlier this year. The network comprises 30 broadband seismometers, scattered throughout the country from the northernmost Kachin state, all the way to the Tenasserim Division in the south.
Dr Banerjee, Technical Director at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), led a team who built the network in collaboration with the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, and the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology in Myanmar.
The entire project took one year to complete–Dr Banerjee’s team began selecting possible sites to place the seismometers in July 2016, and the final seismometer station was constructed by July 2017.
At each of the 30 stations in the network, a high quality...
New Seismic Network Sheds Light on Myanmar’s Tectonic Activity
New Seismic Network Sheds Light on Myanmar’s Tectonic Activity
20 Nov 2017Scientists have long known that Myammar is tectonically vulnerable. But only recently, says Dr Paramesh Banerjee, have they been able to understand the full extent of the country’s seismic activity.
This new insight is made possible by the new Myanmar Seismic Network (MSN), established earlier this year. The network comprises 30 broadband seismometers, scattered throughout the country from the northernmost Kachin state, all the way to the Tenasserim Division in the south.
Dr Banerjee, Technical Director at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), led a team who built the network in collaboration with the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, and the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology in Myanmar.
The entire project took one year to complete–Dr Banerjee’s team began selecting possible sites to place the seismometers in July 2016, and the final seismometer station was constructed by July 2017.
At each of the 30 stations in the network, a high quality...
Inside Mount Mayon
Inside Mount Mayon
05 Oct 2017As a Research Associate at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), a large part of my work concerns studying the gaseous emissions from Mount Mayon, in the Philippines. In collaboration with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), we are working to identify the composition of the volcano’s plume, which can help us better understand what is going on beneath the surface.
Measuring gases in a volcanic plume is by no means straightforward. We can quantify the flux of sulphur dioxide via the permanent monitoring network at Mount Mayon, but to retrieve values for other volatiles such as carbon dioxide, water, and hydrogen sulfide, we must sample the plume directly. For this we use a Multi-Gas Analyzing System (MultiGAS) designed by Research Geologist Peter Kelly of the United States Geological Survey.
The infamously majestic Mayon however, provides its own set of challenges with its summit at 2,462 metres (m) above sea level, atop a...
Inside Mount Mayon
Inside Mount Mayon
05 Oct 2017As a Research Associate at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), a large part of my work concerns studying the gaseous emissions from Mount Mayon, in the Philippines. In collaboration with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), we are working to identify the composition of the volcano’s plume, which can help us better understand what is going on beneath the surface.
Measuring gases in a volcanic plume is by no means straightforward. We can quantify the flux of sulphur dioxide via the permanent monitoring network at Mount Mayon, but to retrieve values for other volatiles such as carbon dioxide, water, and hydrogen sulfide, we must sample the plume directly. For this we use a Multi-Gas Analyzing System (MultiGAS) designed by Research Geologist Peter Kelly of the United States Geological Survey.
The infamously majestic Mayon however, provides its own set of challenges with its summit at 2,462 metres (m) above sea level, atop a...
From Rooted Tree to Voyaging Boat
From Rooted Tree to Voyaging Boat
05 May 2017
Different rainforest trees grow on an island called Siberut; one of four big islands of the Mentawai Archipelago located off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Katuka is what Mentawaians call one family of these dipterocarp trees. These trees have very hard wood and are widely used for construction and crafting.
I want to tell you the story of one katuka tree in particular. This 400-year-old tree will soon surrender its life to serve the needs of the people.
A Giant Falls
As the sun rises over Siberut Island, a Mentawaian called Aman Ani and his fellow villagers sharpen their axes. They prepare their meals, as well as an offering for the forest spirits. Later, they sit quietly in a motorised canoe as they cruise upstream. Some of them are smoking cigarettes. All of them reflect, knowing they will soon execute a tree that has been standing on the island for nearly 400 years. As they approach the foot of a hill, the pilot slows the outboard...
From Rooted Tree to Voyaging Boat
From Rooted Tree to Voyaging Boat
05 May 2017Different rainforest trees grow on an island called Siberut; one of four big islands of the Mentawai Archipelago located off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Katuka is what Mentawaians call one family of these dipterocarp trees. These trees have very hard wood and are widely used for construction and crafting.
I want to tell you the story of one katuka tree in particular. This 400-year-old tree will soon surrender its life to serve the needs of the people.
A Giant Falls
As the sun rises over Siberut Island, a Mentawaian called Aman Ani and his fellow villagers sharpen their axes. They prepare their meals, as well as an offering for the forest spirits. Later, they sit quietly in a motorised canoe as they cruise upstream. Some of them are smoking cigarettes. All of them reflect, knowing they will soon execute a tree that has been standing on the island for nearly 400 years. As they approach the foot of a hill, the pilot slows the outboard...