QUARTO – One year after the launch of the experimental project “Towards a Smart Municipality 4.0 – New Technologies for Predictive Seismic Monitoring“, the Municipality of Quarto presented the first results during a public press conference. The initiative, promoted by the municipal administration in collaboration with the engineering company NetCom Group and the University of Salerno, was launched in May 2024 and involved the installation of advanced sensors at the “Falcone” school to monitor the structural health of the building in real time, even following seismic tremors or bradyseismic swarms.
The project, carried out at no cost to the local authority, was conceived before the resurgence of bradyseismic activity in the Phlegraean Fields. This timing made it possible to monitor the school building during the numerous tremors recorded over the past year. Data collected by the high-tech devices confirmed that the structure responded positively even to the most intense stresses, without sustaining damage or significant alterations. After each seismic event, the building returned to its original condition, demonstrating its structural stability.
In Quarto, an innovative predictive seismic monitoring project is thus taking shape, developed through the joint efforts of the Municipality, the University of Salerno, and NetCom Group. In addition to the installation of sensors, the project involved PhD students, thesis writers, and researchers in the field, who conducted detailed surveys and created a three-dimensional model of the school building. The goal was to develop a true “identity card” for the structure—capable of precisely describing how it vibrates, how it behaves under stress, and whether it can return to optimal conditions after a seismic event.
The analyses are based on artificial intelligence algorithms, recurrent neural networks, and advanced signal processing techniques, which are also capable of predicting potential failures or alterations in structural behavior. An interactive dashboard for real-time visualization of the collected data is currently being finalized. This tool is intended to be useful both for maintenance technicians and for the general public.
Among the next steps are the creation of a “digital twin” of the school and the publication of the “Comune di Quarto” dataset, compliant with big data standards. This dataset will be presented at the upcoming national “Smart City” conference in Cassino. It will also be shared with both the Italian and international scientific communities as a virtuous model of innovation applied to local territory.
Based on the encouraging results obtained so far, the municipal administration has announced its intention to extend the monitoring system to other school buildings, the Town Hall, and the Civil Protection headquarters, with the goal of reaching at least five monitored structures by December 2025.
Crucial at this stage has also been the contribution of several multinational companies, which developed custom sensors tailored to the specific needs of the project, recognizing its scientific and technological value.
The detection system is not intended to replace official earthquake monitoring tools, but rather to serve as a complementary support for the immediate assessment of structural conditions before and after a seismic event, allowing for the timely identification of any anomalies.
At the press conference presenting the results, speakers included Mario Casillo, Regional Councilor of Campania with responsibility for digitalization; Domenico Lanzo, CEO of NetCom Group; Alfredo Troiano, Technical Director of the same company; Francesco Colace, Director of the ICT Center for Cultural Heritage at the University of Salerno; and the Mayor of Quarto, Antonio Sabino.
«We are proud to be actively involved in such an innovative project, which brings together science, technology, and institutional responsibility to ensure greater safety for our schools—and therefore for the families in our community. This initiative shows that, through collaboration between public institutions, universities, and private companies, we can seize real opportunities to build a safer and more resilient territory.
Our goal now is to extend this monitoring model to all municipal school buildings, because every student and every citizen has the right to safe spaces, – said Mayor Antonio Sabino- I would like to thank the Vice President of NetCom Group, Guido Cristofaro—a native of the Phlegraean area and a true guardian of the territory—for believing in this project and for his ongoing commitment. I also thank Regional Councilor Mario Casillo, whose sensitivity toward our territory has helped bring innovation and institutional attention here. Only by creating networks can we truly grow and look to the future with confidence.».
«The University of Salerno strongly believes in this project and is also investing financial resources to enhance its effectiveness. We’re not doing this out of charity, but because we believe in research and in the scientific value of this experimental initiative, which is already yielding concrete results– said Francesco Colace – I would like to thank Rector Vincenzo Loia for his support, as well as all the colleagues involved—particularly Professor Martinelli, Full Professor of Structural Engineering, who is providing a valuable contribution to the data analysis. Thanks to the work of PhD students, thesis candidates, and research fellows from our ICT Center for Cultural Heritage, we were able to carry out detailed surveys and create a three-dimensional model of the school building used in the pilot study. This demonstrates how university research can generate real impact on the territory and contribute to the safety of our communities».
«The results of the pilot project are remarkable in several respects. The platform developed enables near real-time monitoring of a complex region like Campania—and in particular, the bradyseismic area—by detecting events such as earthquakes or micro-movements that reveal the structural flexibility of buildings – said Domenico Lanzo – Thanks to the installed sensors, we have been able to gather valuable data on the oscillations affecting the structures, providing experts with a concrete opportunity to study the seismic behavior of buildings and plan any necessary interventions. The results are very encouraging: the technology used is advanced, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective, making it an ideal solution even for public construction.».
«Returning after one year to present the results of this pilot project is a great source of pride. We are talking about a project carried out completely free of charge for the entities involved, which today demonstrates how, with truly low costs, it is possible to ensure constant monitoring of public buildings, bringing enormous benefits in terms of prevention and safety – emphasized Mario Casillo– We live in an area where many buildings—constructed between the 1950s and 1970s using reinforced concrete—require attention: reinforced concrete is not everlasting, and recent collapse incidents remind us of that. Today, thanks to modern technologies, we can carry out effective prevention, just as we are used to doing in our homes with smart devices. If we can monitor our homes with a smartphone, we can no longer accept that school or public buildings remain without monitoring. Technology offers a real opportunity to intervene before problems occur: this is the true safety we must guarantee to our citizens.».
«This pilot project represents a virtuous example of collaboration between public institutions, universities, and private enterprises: a strategic triangulation that has produced concrete results on the ground– concluded Alfredo Troiano – As NetCom Group, we have been committed for years to strengthening our expertise in IoT and data analysis—a journey that began with the creation of a dedicated Innovation Lab, which today allows us to take a leading role in projects of the highest technological value. Experiences like this confirm how fundamental the connection with the academic world is, which has always been a pillar for us. It is thanks to this strong relationship with the university that we are able to retain young talent in Campania and turn innovative ideas born from scientific research into reality.».