It was an interesting dialogue about operations and future opportunities to make our society safer and more resilient, both nationally and internationally, given the geopolitical situation and the climate challenges that are having a major impact.

- It was very valuable for us at NORSAR to be able to show what we contribute today – and what we can contribute even more in the future. In the world we live in now, and with the way geopolitical and climate challenges are developing, we at NORSAR believe we have a great deal to contribute,” says CEO Birger Steen of NORSAR following the visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Barth Eide.

The topics of discussion were linked to the main pillars of NORSAR’s areas of expertise and strategy.

NORSAR’s core competence is knowledge of the Earth’s vibrations—both natural and man-made—and describing them in real time through automated recording and analysis. We have been working in this field for more than 50 years. It is our societal responsibility to share and disseminate knowledge in order to make the world safer and more secure—in short, more resilient.
 

NORSAR has a highly valuable and sensitive monitoring network
 

Through NORSAR’s extensive network of fiber-optic, infrasound, and seismic stations, we are able both to “listen” to the Earth and to monitor weather- and climate-related phenomena, ranging from landslide risks in unstable mountain areas to movements in ice around Greenland, Svalbard, and the polar regions. The instruments are extremely sensitive and can detect very small vibrations. This also enables us to identify man-made disturbances and share data that can contribute to improved preparedness and response to undesirable events.

Seismic instruments are highly sensitive and can detect even small vibrations. In addition to natural seismic activity, our monitoring stations can therefore register man-made events and help clarify them. When the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, our technologists automatically established monitoring of the areas surrounding the country’s nuclear power plants to ensure independent information about bombings. This contributes to the overall situational awareness used by Norwegian authorities to assess the risk of radioactive fallout over Norway.

Senior research scientist Guro Svendsen and Barth Eide

Our software is used to solve a wide range of tasks and can, among other things, be applied to the optimization of seismic surveys; evaluation and planning; seismic modeling and simulation; and the generation of synthetic seismic data. By improving seismic data acquisition, processing, and analysis, NORSAR’s software can provide better subsurface imaging and help reduce risk and costs in oil exploration.

Seismic modeling is a particularly important tool in the acquisition and processing of seismic data. We therefore work continuously to further develop our seismic modeling techniques. NORSAR’s modeling technology, such as our seismic ray-tracing modeling, is among the most advanced on the market.

NORSAR’s software products are used by leading oil companies worldwide. The products are supported by experienced sales, services, and support teams from our headquarters in Norway, as well as through a global network of representatives.