Research infrastructure: national geophysical facility (NGF): advancing earth science capabilities through innovation - ear scope

The National Science Foundation Division of Earth Sciences awarded Earthscope Consortium Inc., operating as Iris, a cooperative agreement for $59.141 million on October 1, 2025, under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to establish and operate the National Geophysical Facility (NGF).

The NGF will provide scientific instrumentation, data capabilities, and workforce development across earth science disciplines by operating a large pool of advanced geophysical sensors (more than 40 different types), persistent global and regional sensor networks delivering low-latency data, a cloud-native data repository with multiple access points and analysis services, and outreach, training, and educational resources. The facility supports research and technical development in geodesy and seismology spanning earthquake physics, space weather, natural hazards monitoring, and nuclear threat detection. Novel research directions enabled by the facility include artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to hazards and cascading impacts, ocean-bottom geodetic capabilities, integration of near-surface observations with solid-earth data, and asynchronous technical training platforms.

The award period runs through September 30, 2030, with place of performance in Washington, D.C. By sharing sensors, data, and analysis tools across thousands of investigations, the facility maximizes operational efficiency and scientific advancement while advancing forecasting, preparedness, economic development through technology transfer, and addressing questions about Earth's structure, evolution, and dynamics.

Abstract

Geodesy is the science of measuring and understanding the earth?s shape and its orientation in space, as well as the changes of these properties with time. Seismology is the study of elastic waves in the earth, the sources that generate such waves, and the earth structure through which they travel. Combined, geodesy and seismology play critical roles in understanding the deformation of the earth?s surface and addressing questions about earth?s structure, evolution, and dynamics, including problems of significant societal relevance, such as natural hazards, resources, and national security. ?the national geophysical facility: advancing earth science capabilities through innovation? Award supports national geophysical resources for discoveries across earth science and advancing the science of geodesy and seismology. The facility will provide scientific instrumentation, data capabilities, and workforce development spanning many disciplines and applications, from earthquake physics to space weather. By sharing sensors, data, and analysis tools across thousands of investigations, the national facility maximizes both operational efficiency and scientific advancement. The capabilities of the facility are also being used beyond the research domain to monitor geophysical and nuclear threat detection, to advance forecasting and preparedness, and to provide economic development through technology transfer. The national geophysical facility (NGF) will operate several functional components, including a large pool of advanced geophysical sensors of more than 40 different types, operation of persistent global and regional sensor networks delivering low-latency data, a cloud-native data repository with multiple points of access and data analysis services and products, and a range of outreach, training, and educational resources. These components support research and technical development in earth science from the inner core to the outermost atmosphere. Some novel research directions and applications enabled by facility advancement include artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to hazards and their cascading impacts, ocean-bottom capabilities in geodesy, integration of near-surface observations with solid-earth data, and novel platforms for independent and asynchronous technical training. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.