EPOS-Norway was established in 2016 as a Norwegian research infrastructure for the geosciences, closely linked to a corresponding European research infrastructure, EPOS. The goal of EPOS and EPOS-Norway is to make data, software, and computational tools available to research communities in Norway, Europe, and worldwide. EPOS-NG marks a new phase of EPOS-Norway and aims to become the leading infrastructure for geohazard research in Norway, including landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hazards related to glaciers and permafrost.
The upgrade in EPOS-NG will include a range of state-of-the-art instruments that can provide information about ongoing or past geohazard events, as well as the potential for future events, by measuring geophysical conditions or ground movements. The instruments facilitate data collection both on land and at sea, and many are suitable for extreme environments such as glaciers and the Arctic.
These new instruments will support interdisciplinary research on a range of processes, including seismic activity, slope stability and landslides, groundwater and soil conditions, permafrost, and changes in glaciers. A state-of-the-art data portal will also be established, providing easy access to a variety of geoscientific data as well as computational and visualization services. The portal combines data from the new instruments and existing monitoring networks, innovative services for advanced data analysis, and national geoscience databases into a single national e-infrastructure that is open and accessible to all.
EPOS-NG also supports Norway's goals for climate adaptation and renewable energy by helping risk assessment in offshore areas and providing tools for safe resource development. By combining cutting-edge technology with teamwork and open access, EPOS-NG helps protect communities and build a safer, more sustainable future.
NORCE's contribution to EPOS-NG
NORCE leads the development of the EPOS-NG data portal, the shared entry point for the project's geohazard data. Built on NORCE's OpenEnlighten platform, the portal lets researchers, risk managers, and other users search, visualize, and download seismic, GNSS, and other geoscientific time series, and combine them with computational and visualization tools. The portal is also being developed end-to-end with AI coding agents — from requirements capture and architecture through implementation, testing, and release management, to technical documentation — reflecting NORCE's broader adoption of agentic software development as a core working method. The portal is being designed together with its future users through workshops and user panels, and is planned for eventual release as open-source software.
In Tromsø, NORCE is developing AI-based analysis of satellite radar (InSAR) data to detect and classify ground movement trends, with a pilot underway in the Kåfjord-Lyngen area in Troms. By combining satellite deformation measurements with machine learning, this work aims to identify unstable, landslide-prone terrain and provide early indications of slope movement that complement ground-based monitoring. The resulting ground movement trend products will be made available through the EPOS-NG portal.
In Bergen, NORCE is working on Distributed Acoustic and Temperature/Strain Sensing (DAS/DTSS), a fibre-optic sensing technique that turns ordinary telecom cables into dense arrays of seismic and thermal sensors. This makes it possible to track ground movement and temperature changes along many kilometers of cable at a spatial resolution far beyond conventional point sensors, making it well suited to monitoring permafrost, glaciers, and critical infrastructure.
Together, these activities — the national data portal, InSAR-based ground movement analysis, and fibre-optic sensing — show how NORCE combines advanced instrumentation, data science, and e-infrastructure to strengthen Norway's capacity for geohazard research and risk assessment.
