Imagine getting a reliable heads-up seconds before an earthquake hits your building or factory — enough time to shut down gas lines, stop elevators, and alert people. TURNkey built a cloud-based system that combines cheap sensors with smartphone data from ordinary citizens to forecast earthquakes, send early warnings, and coordinate emergency response. They tested it across six real locations in Europe — from Bucharest to Groningen — each with different earthquake risks. Think of it as a weather radar, but for earthquakes, designed so city authorities and infrastructure operators can plug it in and use it right away.
By the numbers
6
European testbed locations with real-world pilots
21
partner institutions across the consortium
10
European countries involved
5
industry partners including SMEs
44
project deliverables produced
2
roaming testbeds for temporary and crowdsourced installations
The business problem
What needed solving
Earthquakes still catch cities and infrastructure operators off guard — costing lives, billions in damage, and weeks of downtime. Current warning systems are expensive, fragmented, and often too slow to trigger automated safety shutdowns. Operators of ports, power grids, factories, and city services in seismically active regions need an affordable, integrated system that forecasts risk, delivers seconds of early warning, and coordinates rapid response after a quake hits.
The solution
What was built
The project delivered a cloud-based FWCR (Forecasting, Warning, Consequence, Response) software platform that is available and running, combining low-cost multi-sensor hardware with cloud computing. They also built a demonstrator for estimating earthquake magnitude from citizen smartphone data — a joint deliverable with the RISE project. In total, 44 deliverables were produced across forecasting, warning, and rapid response capabilities.
Audience
Who needs this
Operators of critical infrastructure in seismic zones (ports, refineries, power plants, pipelines)Municipal civil protection and emergency management departmentsProperty and catastrophe insurance companies covering earthquake-prone regionsConstruction and engineering firms designing earthquake-resilient buildingsNational geological surveys and seismological monitoring agencies
Business applications
Who can put this to work
Critical Infrastructure Operations
enterprise
Target: Operators of ports, power plants, pipelines, and industrial facilities in seismically active regions
If you operate critical infrastructure in earthquake-prone zones and worry about unplanned shutdowns and damage — this project developed a cloud-based early warning platform tested across 6 European testbeds that can trigger automated safety protocols seconds before shaking arrives. The system uses low-cost multi-sensor units, meaning you don't need expensive seismological stations to get actionable alerts for your facility.
Insurance and Risk Assessment
enterprise
Target: Property insurers and catastrophe modelers covering earthquake-prone portfolios
If you underwrite buildings or industrial assets in seismic zones and need better risk data — this project built an Operational Earthquake Forecasting system validated in 6 distinct European locations with different hazard profiles. The platform combines sensor data with crowdsourced citizen reports via smartphone apps, giving you richer real-time exposure data to refine loss models and dynamic pricing.
Smart City and Municipal Services
any
Target: City emergency management departments and civil protection agencies
If you manage emergency response for a city in an earthquake-active region and struggle with slow situational awareness after a quake — this project delivered a rapid response system that merges professional sensor networks with citizen smartphone data from 21 partner institutions across 10 countries. The platform was demonstrated in cities like Bucharest and Patras, designed for search-and-rescue coordination and damage assessment within minutes.
Frequently asked
Quick answers
What would it cost to deploy this system at our facility or city?+
The project specifically designed the system around low-cost multi-sensor units and a cloud-based platform to keep deployment affordable. Exact pricing per unit or subscription model is not published in the project data — you would need to contact the consortium for commercial terms.
Can this scale beyond the test sites to our region?+
The system was tested across 6 geographically diverse European testbeds — from urban Bucharest to the induced seismicity zone in Groningen, Netherlands — plus 2 roaming testbeds for temporary installations. This range of hazard profiles, spatial extents, and monitoring networks suggests the platform is designed to adapt to different seismic contexts.
Who owns the IP and how can we license it?+
The consortium of 21 partners across 10 countries developed the technology under an EU RIA funding scheme, which typically means IP stays with the generating partner. The coordinator NORSAR (Norway) is an SME — contact them for licensing discussions on the FWCR platform and sensor hardware.
Does this meet European regulatory requirements for seismic monitoring?+
The system was tested in 6 EU member state locations and was advised by international experts. Based on the project objectives, it was designed for use by public authorities including search-and-rescue teams, suggesting alignment with civil protection standards. Specific certifications would need to be confirmed with the consortium.
How quickly can this be integrated with our existing monitoring infrastructure?+
The project objective states the platform is 'flexible, extendable, robust and easy-to-use' and cloud-based, which suggests it can layer on top of existing seismic networks. One testbed (Groningen) already had extensive monitoring infrastructure, indicating the system was designed for integration rather than replacement.
Is the smartphone crowdsourcing component production-ready?+
A dedicated demonstrator was built for estimating seismic magnitude using citizen smartphone data, delivered as a joint effort with the RISE project. Based on available project data, this is at demonstrator stage — functional and tested, but may need further development for large-scale public deployment.
Consortium
Who built it
The TURNkey consortium brings together 21 partners from 10 European countries, combining 9 universities and 7 research organizations with 5 industry partners (all SMEs). The 24% industry ratio is moderate for a research project but meaningful — it means the technology was shaped by commercial perspectives from the start. The coordinator, NORSAR in Norway, is itself an SME with deep seismological expertise, which signals a practical rather than purely academic orientation. Geographic spread across Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and the UK means the system has been exposed to very different seismic conditions, regulatory environments, and infrastructure types — a strong indicator of adaptability for any European deployment.
Want to explore how TURNkey's earthquake warning platform could protect your infrastructure or city? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the development team and help you evaluate fit for your specific seismic risk profile.
