The GEO Geohazard Supersite and Natural laboratories initiative (GSNL) has promoted investigations of volcanic and earthquake hazards at selected ‘Supersites’, providing access to space-borne and ground-based geophysical data. The Supersite concept aims to demonstrate the societal benefits of the GEO principles of open data sharing, and is implemented through a voluntary partnership among the world's space agencies, the in situ data providers, and the international scientific community. The newly agreed implementation plan for the GSNL initiative emphasizes the necessity for improved uptake of Supersite science results for disaster risk reduction. The local scientific community then plays a crucial role in the communication of the new findings to end-users and decision makers, in the format needed to effectively support Disaster Prevention, Mitigation or Response activities. As such, the GSNL initiative is fully compliant with the role of science as envisioned in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Thanks to EC support, this concept has been successfully demonstrated at four European Supersites: the Marmara fault zone, the Icelandic volcanoes, the Mt. Etna volcano and the Vesuvius/Campi Flegrei volcanic area. Based on the success of these, and other, Supersites the GSNL community can stimulate the adaptive implementation of the concept to different areas and contexts, exploiting the networking character of the initiative and the capacity to exchange experiences, scientific methods, and user communication approaches.
The session welcomes contributions from all the Supersites (well established and new) on both scientific results and technological aspects, as well as contributions showing how the new geohazard science is being or can be communicated to end-users and what are the actual benefits. Contributions discussing proposals for new Supersites, and how the Supersite concept can be applied to different hazards, are also encouraged.