Turkish universities launch Thrace, Marmara quake monitoring network

ÇANAKKALE

Six Turkish universities have launched a 24/7, real-time geodetic monitoring network to track earthquake-related ground deformation across Thrace and the Southern Marmara region.

Named TR-TRAK-GNSS, the initiative will use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology to continuously monitor seismic and tectonic activity from 28 strategically located stations, according to Professor Cüneyt Erenoğlu, rector of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.

Erenoğlu said the system is designed to evolve into a major scientific and early-warning infrastructure capable of detecting tectonic deformation in real time and identifying structural movements in buildings across cities and university campuses.

Once fully deployed, the network will form a continuous monitoring ring encircling Thrace and Southern Marmara.

Comparable examples are rare in Türkiye, making the initiative a pioneering effort within a university consortium, he added.

Erenoğlu said the project will be financed through each participating university’s Scientific Research Projects (BAP) resources, with institutions covering the installation costs of GNSS stations within their own areas of responsibility.

By using low-cost GNSS devices — up to five times more economical than conventional systems — the project is expected to deliver high scientific value while keeping costs under control.

Highlighting the role of universities in disaster resilience, Erenoğlu said campus safety has evolved from a project-based approach into a strategic priority.