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International audience; Built on the two previous FP7 grants Eurofleets (2009-2013) and Eurofleets 2 (2013-2017) and within the on-going H2020 Eurofleets+ project, the under-discussion Eurofleets RI aims at strengthening the role of the European Research Vessel Fleet in collecting marine data from global oceans, regional seas and coastal waters, deploy and service observing systems, so providing a vital platform for other European RIs. Eurofleets+ provides transnational access to a unique fl eet of research vessels through a robust call management and evaluation process. Joint research activities in the project aims at advancing data management, improving interoperability of rigs for deployment of different equipment, facilitating installation of mobile equipment across different vessels and validating new innovations for intelligent exploration. Active dialog with stakeholders ensures that marine research vessels including associated equipment are coordinated, designed and operated optimally to meet scientific user’s requirements in addition to providing training activities to support the next generation of marine scientists. Fostering innovation through the management of exploitable results is supported through collaboration with industrial partners. A business plan and strategic roadmap are under development for Eurofl eets RI, while extensive dissemination and communication activities to raise awareness of the essential role of the European Research Vessel Fleet are ongoing.

This SWOT analysis report is the first step in the process towards developing a long-term sustainable coordination model for the European research vessel community. It provides and analysis of the relevance of Research Vessels, the European Research Vessel fleet and the current EU policy towards Transnational access to these infrastructures. The EUROFLEETS+ “Foresight: Legacy and Roadmap” - Objectives and Work Plan are described, with a detailed examination of possible legal entity models to advance towards a Eurofleets RI. Finally, two models are proposed as possible options for a long-term sustainable coordination model for the European research vessels (EUROFLEETS RI).

This paper describes the results of the activities performed during the project PONa3_00363 I-AMICA (High Technology Infrastructure for Climate and Environment Monitoring; www.i-amica.it), as part of the activities of Development Objective 4.4 (Processes of the biosphere-hydrosphere interface and features of coastal ecosystems). Through the strengthening of scientific-technological infrastructure and equipment, I-AMICA was planned to increase the observational capacity of the monitoring of marine coastal ecosystems, particularly vulnerable in the sensitive Mediterranean area and strictly connected to the natural and anthropic continental system. For this reason research activities were mainly focused on the neritic environment adjacent to the shelf area of the Volturno River mouth (Gulf of Gaeta - central part of the Tyrrhenian Sea). Advanced knowledge on the dynamics in time of marine coastal ecosystems, in relation to the physical, chemical and biological processes that characterize their habitat, were acquired while new methods of integrated monitoring, in relation to the specific characteristics of the study area, were tested. Particular attention was given to the identification of bio-indicators in water column and sediment at sea floor. The monitoring was also integrated by studies on the shoreline changes, seismic stratigraphy of deltaic deposits and by sedimentology and morpho-bathymetry of the seabed., Vengono presentati i risultati dell’attività di monitoraggio svolta nel corso del progetto PONa3_00363 I-AMICA (Infrastruttura di Alta tecnologia per il Monitoraggio Integrato Climatico-Ambientale; www.i-amica.it/i-amica/), nell’ambito delle attività relative all’Obiettivo Realizzativo 4.4 (Processi di interfaccia biosfera-idrosfera e funzionalità degli ecosistemi costieri). L’attività, che ha avuto come scopo l’acquisizione di conoscenze avanzate sulle dinamiche e/o variazioni nel tempo degli ecosistemi marino-costieri in relazione ai processi fisici, chimici e biologici che caratterizzano il loro habitat, si è sviluppata attraverso la sperimentazione di nuove metodologie di monitoraggio in relazione alle specifiche caratteristiche dell’area marino-costiera prospiciente la foce del fiume Volturno (Golfo di Gaeta). In particolare, oltre che sulle tecniche di monitoraggio classiche, lo studio si è principalmente focalizzato sulla acquisizione ed interpretazione di dati ambientali sia in colonna d’acqua che nei sedimenti a fondo mare e sulla identificazione di specie e/o associazioni di specie significative (bio-indicatori) da un punto di vista ambientale ed indicative dello stato di salute del sistema costiero. Poiché il sistema costiero rappresenta una struttura naturale complessa e delicata, la cui evoluzione è il risultato di delicati equilibri fisici, chimici e biologici, fortemente condizionabili dagli interventi antropici, l’attività di monitoraggio è stata integrata da studi sulla variazione della linea di costa, da studi sismostratigrafici della piana deltizia, sedimentologici e morfo-batimetrici dei fondali.

In the recent years, Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) have proved their usefulness in particular to collect data for marine research and environmental survey. The use of these controlled remotely platforms, without direct human control, have improved the capacity to image, and monitor the seabed and the costalmarine environment. Outfitted with different instruments (payload), the USVs are used for marine, river and lake activities, such as environmental monitoring, water quality sampling, hydrologic survey, target tracking and scientific survey [Bertram, 2008; Manley, 2008; Giordano et al., 2015]. Other fields of application include harbor surveillance, maritime search, rescue and natural disaster damage assessment [Steimle et al., 2009]. One of the first USV was ARTEMIS, designed in 1993 at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sea Grant Collage) [Manley, 1997] to collect bathymetric data and it was characterized by a propulsion system with two electric motors and a rudder servant-implemented. The USV was equipped by an automatic control of the heading and an autonomous navigation capacity through reference points (waypoints). Its small dimension (about 1.37m long) was the main shortcoming, limiting the endurance and the sea keeping. Following the development of ARTEMIS, to improve the transverse stability and to design more payload capacity and redundancy as regards the buoyancy, MIT adapted the catamaran shape for the hull and removed the rudder; the steering is based on a differential propeller revolution rate. After the MIT, several USVs were designed within many research projects. Among these, other USV were realized. The DELFIM, capable of working in close cooperation with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) [Pascoal et al., 2000] and the ROAZ, ROAZ II, that, set up for bathymetry survey, were designed to allow testing and validation of new developments in monitoring, coordinating multi-vehicle navigation, sampling and other research topics related to marine surface vehicles [Ferreira et al., 2006a, 2009]. Further developed concerned the SWORDFISH, MESSIN and SPRINGER vehicles. The SWORDFISH [Ferreira et al., 2006b, 2007] is a survey vehicle, with modular sensor payloads and a mobile gateway for air to underwater communication. The MESSIN [Majhor and Buch, 2006] is a catamaran dedicated to delivering sensors for oceanographic operations or hydrological mapping. The vehicle is suitable to operate in very shallow water, without destructive effects on the marine environment. The autonomous navigation system allows following the pre-programmed routes efficiently. The SPRINGER was developed in 2004 [Naeem et al., 2006; 2008] for tracking of pollutants, hydrographical surveys in rivers, water resources and coastal waters. As marine platform, SPRINGER was designed to be used also as a test-bed for intelligent navigation systems and for testing of new technologies for the sensors. Several developments in the modelling of twin hull USVs were presented also by the CNR-ISSIA (Italy) [Caccia et al., 2006] that within the SESAMO project designed the catamaran Charlie for sampling activity in the Antarctic Region [Caccia et al., 2006]. This technical report describes an innovative and integrated prototype system of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) for advanced environmental monitoring; the water platform’s is developed at the Coastal Marine Environmental Institute – National Research Council (Italy), within the Project: Integrated Systems and Technologies for Geophysical and Environmental Monitoring in coastal-marine areas (STIGEAC), in the framework of the National Operational Programs 2007-2013. The project concerns in the research of new technologies and the design of vehicles, for the surveys of the coastal marine environment, understood as a “multipurpose” laboratory for sea research with characteristics of modularity and portability. The goal involves not only the execution of scientific and technological research but also for the valorization of marine cultural heritage, for industrial activity and for emergency interventions related to environmental crises. Major innovations concern the design of a new architecture of the control system and/or to allow the cooperation between heterogeneous unmanned vehicles, the integration of distributed sensing techniques and real-time image processing capabilities [Marsella et al., 2015].

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems - RPAS [ICAO, 2011], usually called drones, are an emerging technology presenting a huge potential for innovative research in territory management. These systems will revolutionize most of the environmental studies (e.g. population ecology, vegetation dynamics, ecosystem processes, etc.) that are improved by remote sensing data, overcoming satellite-based data that provide not easy repeatable information and only at regional/global scale (from about 50-100 km up to 10.000 km). RPAS or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS1) history begun in 1916 (i.e. the Wright brothers HewittSperry Automatic airplane) and it has been mainly unfolded until today thanks to military applications [Colomina and Molina, 2014; Pappot and de Boer, 2015]. Nowadays, UAS based technology is rapidly developing in the industrial market and in civil applications for several kind of monitoring services (i.e. traffic monitoring, border surveillance, environmental monitoring, imaging and mapping, archaeology, search and rescue operations, etc.) [Valavanis and Vachtsevanos, 2015]. Moreover, the use of drones, in the global consumable market is continually growing due to the integration on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms of high performance processors, sensors and electronic devices with lower and lower power consumption. Mainly, light Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs) are used in several application fields due to their low weight and low size.

Este trabajo resume la amplia actividad experimental y de cálculo, desarrollada para evaluar la respuesta sísmica local en la Ciudad de Mendoza y sus alrededores incluyendo metodologías innovativas. El principal aporte consiste en sintetizar los resultados obtenidos con el objetivo final de actualizar la Microzonificación Sísmica de Mendoza, a partir de la existente (no vigente) realizada por INPRES en 1989. El área urbana bajo estudio está ubicada en la región centro occidental argentina, se desarrolla en una cuenca aluvial cuaternaria de varios centenares de metros de espesor y presenta actividad sísmica tanto de subducción como cortical con terremotos históricos cercanos muy fuertes y destructivos. Como parte del trabajo, se integró información estratigráfica, litológica y geofísica preexistente con información recientemente obtenida a partir de investigaciones cuidadosamente planificadas y seleccionadas a fin de establecer los aspectos más críticos de cada sitio, dando lugar a modelos geotécnicos apropiadamente representativos. Las investigaciones de campaña incluyeron sondeos y pozos excavados manualmente así como distintos métodos geosísmicos. Se destaca la ejecución de ensayos de laboratorio de columna resonante y de corte torsional. Se establecieron acelerogramas compatibles con el peligro sísmico del área teniendo en cuenta las condiciones de campo cercano y se aplicaron como solicitaciones (input) en los modelos geotécnicos de respuesta unidimensional. Los resultados se resumen en términos de espectros y distribuciones espaciales de amplificaciones de las aceleraciones sísmicas extremas e intensidad de Housner computadas en el rango de 0,1 a 0,7seg, representativas de la mayor parte de las estructuras edilicias de la ciudad de Mendoza.

The technical report describes the recent application of Electrical Resistivity (ERT) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), for reconstructing buried structural geometries of a cultural heritage site in the city of Napoli, characterized by complex environmental and logistic conditions. The investigated site is the Carmine bell tower, located in the East seaside area of Naples (Italy), close to the neighboring magnificent church. The electromagnetic surveys were finalized to detect the foundation geometry of the high monumental bell tower resting on loose alluvial and pyroclastic soils. In fact, such non-invasive methods can assist the geotechnical engineers in the detection of foundation geometry when cultural heritage needs to be preserved and penetrating investigation tools (such as boreholes) must be avoided or, at least, their impact reduced to the minimum.

The technical report describes the application of non-invasive geophysical methods, Electrical Resistivity (ERT) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), for reconstructing the buried subsoil geometries of a cultural heritage site in the city of Napoli, characterized by complex environmental conditions. The investigated site is the Fontanelle Cemetery, a cavity network made by chamber and pillars, one of the most fascinating hypogean sites excavated for the exploitation of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, whose origin may be traced back in the XVI century. The electromagnetic surveys were finalized to detect the buried subsoil geometry and the real height of the buried pillars.

The aim of RItrainPlus is to “create a foundation for the long-term provision of highly qualified personnel for managing Research Infrastructures, Core Facilities and other complex scientific operations in academia and industry” (RItrainPlus, 2022). In order to achieve this, specific curricula are to be developed and a European School for Research Infrastructure (RI) Management is to be established in the near future. An integrative mixed-method approach was developed and implemented to offer evidence-based proposals. It consists of an online survey among 330 members of RIs and Core Facilities (CFs) and a qualitative expert survey among (17) heads and managers of selected RIs and CFs in structurally selected countries. This entry includes the full report on Task 2.1. of RItrainPlus.

Modelling of soil shear rupture due to an earthquake is not generally implemented in the common codes for 1D seismic response analysis. It requires the use of advanced plasticity-based constitutive models of soil, that are often neglected in practice. A good balance between simplicity and reliability can be achieved with methods based on simplified formulations of the mathematical equations and of the constitutive models. The paper presents a computer code based on this philosophy conceived, addressed and optimised to reliably model both the ‘transient’ seismic response (‘stick’ mode) and the permanent deformation mechanisms accounting for the coupled effects of deformability and strength (‘slip’ mode). The code can be adopted to evaluate the seismic performance of different geotechnical systems that can be reasonably approximated to a 1D problem. In the paper, the code is applied to model a soft-storey failure occurred in a framed structure heavily damaged during a strong-motion earthquake.

A rational evaluation of the seismic risk of urban areas cannot neglect the variability of the ground motion due to site amplification and the induced effects, such as soil liquefaction and slope stability. In this framework, the microzonation maps certainly represent the most adequate tool to account for this element in the seismic risk and for planning mitigation strategies. This study shows the preliminary results of a multidisciplinary research, which deals with the seismic microzonation of the Western area of Napoli. The selected case study is a challenging choice, as the seismic hazard is affected by both tectonic and volcanic seismicity, which in historical time differently affected the urban setting. The latter, in turn, results highly heterogeneous, as consisting of a mixing of both masonry and concrete structures. The adopted approach followed the recommendations of both the National and International Guidelines, with reference to the multi-levels methods. The collection, homogenization and synthesis of a significant number of existing data permitted the development of reliable geological and geotechnical subsoil models, leading to Grade I and II seismic microzonation maps, characterized by different expected amplification of ground motion and instability due to the liquefaction. Such maps represent a key for a quantitative assessment of seismic performance of buildings and infrastructures, in view of the expected urban requalification of the area.

The paper describes two recent examples of application of Electrical Resistivity (ERT) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), for reconstructing buried subsoil and structural geometries in two historical sites in the city of Napoli. Both investigation sites were characterized by complex environmental and logistic conditions. The first case study was an ancient hypogean cavity excavated in the tuff, where the integration between ERT and GPR allowed to identify the depth of the soft rock below the natural and anthropic filling. The second investigation was finalized to detect the foundation geometry of a high monumental bell tower resting on loose alluvial and pyroclastic soils. In both cases, the joint interpretation of ERT and GPR tests confirmed the preliminary knowledge on the subsoil and addressed further direct investigation aimed at the stability and safety of the historical sites.

During the Abruzzo earthquake (6.IV.2009, MW = 6.3), the village of Castelnuovo, lying on an elliptical hill about 60 m high, underwent an intensive damage (IMCS = 9–10), that could be partly ascribed to the topographic amplification and to the presence of an underground cavity network. To verify these hypotheses, the seismic response of the hill was carefully investigated adopting both 2D and 3D finite difference numerical models. Analyses were carried out using a detailed geotechnical model, defined on the basis of a comprehensive field investigation (boreholes, DH, HVSR, ERT) and accurate laboratory tests (RC-TS). The reference input motion was reproduced considering the time history of the mainshock recorded at an accelerometric station close to the epicenter, conveniently deconvoluted to the bedrock and scaled in amplitude to the site of Castelnuovo. The results of the numerical analyses, expressed in terms of distribution of the amplification factor of peak acceleration and Housner intensity, proved that the topographic effects significantly influenced the ground motion at surface, whereas the role of cavities seemed to be negligible.