Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific NorthwestWildfire Prevention, Research, and Policy
The University of Oregon is a national leader in wildfire prevention, research, and policy — driving innovative solutions to protect communities and restore landscapes.
226+
PNSN Seismic Monitoring Stations Across Oregon
68+
OHAZ Wildfire Detection Cameras Across Oregon
4.2Mil
Oregonians With Access to ShakeAlert EEW Alerts
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
19
OHAZ Staff
4
Student Researchers
The Oregon Hazards Lab is a program within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:
Mobile Deployment Units
The Oregon Hazards Lab is building out a stock of lightweight portable wildfire camera kits that public land management agencies can rapidly deploy to monitor new ignitions.
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Along with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington, we monitor ground motion to better understand earthquake and volcano hazards and their impacts on communities in Oregon and Washington.
ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System
Since 2014, the Oregon Hazards Lab has been an instrumental partner in building and promoting the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system.
Wildfire Detection Cameras
With hundreds of mountaintop cameras installed throughout the western United States, this high-speed wildfire detection network provides firefighters and first responders a new way to spot and track wildfires.
Wildfire Smoke Sensors
As part of a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we deployed 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon in 2023 and tested their effectiveness at detecting emerging wildfires.
Sage Continuum
We are building a continent-spanning network of smart sensors to improve the flow of information between scientists and the natural world.
We Are Oregon, Rising
Learn how the mission and vision of OHAZ fit within Oregon Rising, the University of Oregon’s strategic framework to accelerate its impact on our state, our nation, and the world.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
University of Oregon Using Game-Changing Artificial Intelligence to Spot Wildfires
AI-enabled wildfire cameras have already proven to be an improvement in California. So far, a similar system called ALERTCalifornia has had a false positive rate below 0.001%. Correct AI alerts sometimes come in long before 911 calls are made by people about a fire, making this system a possible game-changer in Oregon.
As Wildfires Grow More Intense, AI Could be the Next Great Tool for Oregon’s Firefighters
As the Pacific Northwest grapples with a changing climate, partnerships between academic institutions, private-sector innovators and emergency services will be a powerful tool in combating wildfires. Oregon is using high-tech cameras powered by AI to help. They can survey large landscapes while employing advanced algorithms to detect and alert first responders to new fire starts.
New Algorithm GFAST Enhances the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System
ShakeAlert is the world’s first earthquake early warning system that incorporates geodetic data and algorithms. A new geodetic algorithm called GFAST that will improve ShakeAlert’s ability to quickly characterize the magnitude of the next Big One.