Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific Northwest
223+
Seismic Monitoring Stations
63+
Wildfire Detection Cameras
$22M+
Funding Since 2020
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
28
OHAZ Staff
8
Student Researchers
The Oregon Hazards Lab is a research lab within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:
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.
Willamette Watershed Project
The Oregon Hazards Lab is developing resilient communications infrastructure for the Santiam, Sisters, and McKenzie River corridors that will support a natural disaster monitoring and alerting network.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
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.
Experts Say Wet Springs May Not Reduce Summer Wildfire Risk
Damp weather in the winter and spring do not necessarily protect against wildfires later in the summer, according to University of Oregon researchers. Oregon Hazards Lab Director Doug Toomey shares how the lab’s wildfire detection camera network can help mitigate wildfire risk this fire season.