This site, founded in 1841 by the will of the King of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand II of Bourbon, was the first volcanological observatory in the world and currently , has a strategic role in monitoring Vesuvius, an area with a high population density today.
The fiber optic connection of the Herculaneum headquarters to the GARR national network, dedicated to education and research, will make it possible to expand the multiparametric monitoring of Vesuvius and represents an important step forward in terms of reliability and efficiency. The location of the observatory, at an altitude on the side of the volcano, is also strategic for collecting monitoring data from other observation points in the area, from Campi Flegrei to Ischia. The fiber link will allow a double connection for the institute towards the national backbone and a new communication channel free from the interference typical of over-the-air channels.
In this way the operational continuity of the Herculaneum office is guaranteed. making it autonomous from the point of view of connectivity from the operational headquarters of the OV in Naples.
"Having reached our historic headquarters with optical fiber is a result of the highest technological value that will allow us not only to consolidate and enhance our scientific and monitoring activities, but also to offer visitors to the Museum annexed new educational, training and dissemination paths based on connectivity ", comments the Director of the Vesuvian Observatory of INGV, Francesca Bianco.
" One of the most important objectives of GARR is to guarantee all researchers the best conditions for doing research regardless of the location of their offices. " said Claudia Battista, coordinator of the Network Department and deputy director of GARR. "The connection that we have inaugurated today makes us particularly happy because it was the result of significant work and investment, which once again demonstrates the value and uniqueness of the Italian research network, because no commercial operator would have been interested to realize it ".
The historic site is currently equipped with a double hiperLAN broadband radio link for direct communications to the OV operational headquarters, which is located in that part of the Phlegraean caldera that insists in the city of Naples, and a WAN bonding system for balancing traffic on multiple paths. Furthermore, through the connectivity on the GARR infrastructure, the office exchanges data continuously with the other operating rooms of the INGV and with the relevant institutions, both local and national, such as the Department of Civil Protection (DPC).
With the headquarters of the Vesuvian Observatory, there are 17 INGV offices connected to the GARR network, some of which are in the area of strong digital divide such as the headquarters of Nicolosi (CT) on the slopes of Etna, the Info Point of Stromboli and the Lipari Geophysical Observatory, headquarters of strategic centers for the monitoring of Aeolian volcanoes or the Portopalo di Capopassero (SR) office, a fundamental node of the EMSO initiative which hosts a network of marine observatories for monitoring and studying geophysical, oceanographic and biological processes that take place in the depths of the ocean.
In 2021 the total traffic exchanged on the GARR network by the INGV offices was equal to over 2 PB, a volume of data destined to grow rapidly, ba are you thinking that in the first months of 2022 alone, the average monthly traffic increased by 50% compared to the previous year.