Within the last 30 years a fundamental change in seismological observation capacity occurred in Europe. When ORFEUS was first created in 1987, there was only a handful of broadband stations operating across Europe. Today, thousands of seismic stations across the continent transmit data within seconds to multiple data centers, coordinated at technical and political levels within ORFEUS. The majority of these stations provide data openly accessible to the scientific community and to a number of European facilities to derive advanced seismological products.

Through international coordination and management of European funded (infrastructure) projects like NERIES and NERA, the operation of a central joint data center and the involvement/dedication of many seismologists and network operators, ORFEUS transformed the European seismological (network) community into a mature research infrastructure.

With more than 5000 stations across the continent representing more than 80 observatory networks distributed over more than ten data centres today, ORFEUS represents the waveform data infrastructure for seismology, induced seismology and ocean bottom seismology communities to be integrated within EPOS, the long-term integration plan of national and transnational research infrastructures for solid Earth science in Europe.

While being closely attached to ORFEUS, Torild van Eck never lost sight of the fact that seismology goes beyond collecting and disseminating waveform data. In that spirit he was one of the great promoters for better integration of data, data products, and services, and thus for the building up of the European Plate Observing System EPOS, and in particular it’s seismology component.

Consequently, in addition to keynote contributions that highlight the evolution in seismic networks from the birth of ORFEUS at the beginning of the digital area in the 1980s to current developments of seismological research infrastructures, this session shall bring together presentations on services over the whole breadth of seismology. We invite contributions on all aspects, from developments of observational networks and systems, data management and access, through earthquake related information products, to seismological models, modeling frameworks and results. Contributions may address scientific and / or technical (ICT) solutions, organizational and integration aspects, as well as visions for future developments.