Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific NorthwestWe 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.
223+
PNSN Seismic Monitoring Stations Across Oregon
63+
OHAZ Wildfire Detection Cameras Across Oregon
4.2Mil
Oregonians With Access to ShakeAlert EEW Alerts
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
26
OHAZ Staff
7
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.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
Oregon Hazards Lab Installs Wildfire Detection Sensors in Willamette Valley
The Oregon Hazards Lab is partnering with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate to install two types of wildfire smoke detection sensors in the Willamette Valley. The goal is to test and compare sensor performance to alerts generated by the lab’s wildfire detection camera system.
Oregon Hazards Lab Newsletter – February 2023
In this first edition of the Oregon Hazards Lab’s quarterly newsletter, we share updates about wildfire detection cameras and earthquake monitoring networks, research projects, and partnerships with critical infrastructure. Please contact us at ohaz@uoregon.edu if you would like to subscribe.
Bureau of Land Management Partners with University of Oregon on Innovative Wildfire Detection Cameras
The Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Hazards Lab are together developing the most innovative wildfire detection camera network in the United States. The Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land Management awarded the University of Oregon $718,346 in Fiscal Year 2022 to install cameras across Eastern Oregon, and has programmed $475,000 for the wildfire cameras in Fiscal Year 2023.