Abstract
The Geophysical Institute of the University of Porto (IGUP) is an important marker in the scientific and technological culture developed over more than a century in the city of Porto, thus a strategy is being planned out for its recovery. This mission aims to take advantage of all the activities in the history of this institution, taking into account several components such as research in areas of natural hazards, seismology, weather and radiometry, support for graduate and post-graduate education at the University of Porto, scientific dissemination, training addressed to students of the 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education and in the context of extracurricular activities that are currently the responsibility of the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia as well as the installation of a pole of the Science Museum of the University of Porto. This infrastructure has some instruments related to seismology, meteorology and radiation, which are directly related to the measurement of variables involved in the estimation of seismic, meteorological and radiological hazards and can thus relate to risk estimation. As such, it has the potential to become a center for research in Natural Hazards, which may contribute with studies, data and parameters for civil society and the scientific community. The recovery that is now underway in the previously integrated PTO seismic station - Worldwide Standardized Seismographic Network (WWSSN), can help to achieve the implementation of a center of research in seismology and simultaneously acknowledge the geopolitical importance of this station. As such, in the present work we intend to show part of the analysis of seismic records relating to previously unknown Soviet nuclear explosions as well as bringing back to life inactive equipment that was switched off since the 1990s and thus enabling the recording of more modern digital seismic records. © 2014 LNEG – Laboratório Nacional de Geologia e Energia IP.

Abstract

Abstract
Geophysical experts aimed to establish a method to identify contamination by landfill leakage without chemically analyzing subsoil samples, which is time-consuming and expensive. To that end, researchers developed a software package that let the experts create 3D visualizations of geophysical data acquired around the landfill and apply statistical analysis to detect anomalous values. The data used, electrical resistivity, are typically sparse. So, the application employs kriging to interpolate the data and provide a volumetric representation of the subsoil resistivity. To avoid invalid conclusions, the visualization also represents uncertainty. The application enabled the experts to better understand the phenomenon and to develop and validate their method. Their evaluation of the application indicated that it helped them throughout the method's development and significantly eased their workload. © 2014 IEEE.

Abstract
The development of an underwater wireless communication systems is becoming a research and a technological priority due to the increasing demand for exploring the potential of oceans in fields such as pharmaceutics, oil, minerals, environmental and biodiversity. However, underwater wireless communications still fail to ensure high data-rate connections which support real time applications. In this work a low power high data-rate acoustic modem is presented, based on a piezoelectric poly (vinylidene fluoride) polymer as a transducer and a Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) that can be programmed to work with different types of modulations. The system has been validated by the implementation of a full duplex point-to-point communication at 1 Mbps using On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation with a 1 MHz single carrier and it represents a major advance in the state of the art and a breakthrough in underwater acoustic communications, being the first to show the possibility to achieve data rates up to 1Mbps. It was successfully tested with a 1 Mbps rate, achieving a 3x10(-3) Bit Error Rate (BER) using just 1.4 mu W of power consumption per bit.

Abstract
Underwater wireless communication systems are becoming a priority in terms of research and technological development due to the increasing demand for exploring the oceans in areas such as pharmaceutical, oil, minerals, environmental and biodiversity. This demand is increasing exponentially with the need for high data rate and near-real-time communications. In this work an underwater low power acoustic modem to operate over tens of meters, achieving a maximum data rate of 1 Mbps, is presented. This solution allows for reprogramming the digital signal processing block enabling the use of different types of digital modulations in order to improve the modem's performance. The system is based on a poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF ultrasonic emitter transducer which is capable of sending high quality signals needed for digital modulations with high symbol rates per carrier period. BPSK, BFSK and OOK modulations have been tested. The results registered were 3x10(-3) BER with 1 Mbps OOK, 2.3x10-5 with 512 kbps and 1x10-8 with 256 kbps.

Abstract
This paper describes the development and testing of a robotic capsule for search and rescue operations at sea. This capsule is able to operate autonomously or remotely controlled, is transported and deployed by a larger USV into a determined disaster area and is used to carry a life raft and inflate it close to survivors in large-scale maritime disasters. The ultimate goal of this development is to endow search and rescue teams with tools that extend their operational capability in scenarios with adverse atmospheric or maritime conditions.