This IEEE Spectrum article describes how the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) has used the portable SKATE system, Setup for the Kinematic Acquisition of Explosive Eruptions, to observe volcanic activity at Stromboli over recent years. Unlike earlier bulky systems requiring hours of manual setup near dangerous vents, SKATE is compact, autonomously records high-speed video (hundreds of frames per second) alongside thermal, acoustic, and motion sensors, and is mounted at safe distances (300–900 meters) from active craters.
The system is built in a rugged suitcase format and powered by solar panels and replaceable batteries. It captures synchronized data streams, thermal imagery, high-speed visual clips triggered by temperature spikes, infrasound and shock-wave data, and logs them to two SSDs (up to 6 TB) for post-event analysis. Delivered for about €50,000 (~U.S. $58,000), the system is modular and designed to be installed quickly by one team in minutes, significantly reducing researcher exposure to hazards.
In using SKATE at Stromboli, the INGV team has matched more than a thousand explosion events with synchronized multi-sensor data from 2019 to 2024. Their findings show that different vents behave distinctly: gas-rich jets tend to produce softer, longer-lasting blasts; lava-bomb-rich blasts roar briefly and send fragments further. These insights aid modeling of eruption dynamics and risk zones.
While the system does not stream real-time alerts (its data-intensive footprint is too large for live transmission), it strengthens fixed monitoring networks by supplying detailed reference data. The goal is to build libraries of signatures so automated systems can recognize early warning signs in live networks.
SKATE represents a leap in remote monitoring capability, combining high-speed sensing, synchronized multimodal data, and rapid deployment in hazardous environments. The article underscores the remaining challenges (weather corrosion, field reliability, goat-chewed cables) but confirms that minutes, not hours, of onsite time now protect human operators.