National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics in Trieste, Trieste, Italy | Institute

The National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics - OGS is a public-sector scientific institution which promotes, co-ordinates and carries out research in the Earth Sciences, with a particular emphasis on the development of new analytical tools and applied technologies in the marine sciences and in seismology, and in the mineral exploration and environmental management fields.

Until 1999 OGS meant Osservatorio Geofisico Sperimentale. These initials have been mantained even after the recent change of name to National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics to underline that new tasks are added but tradition and experience didn´t change.

OGS origins, infact, date back to the middle of XVIII century, when Her Majesty Maria Theresia von Habsburg asked to Jesuit fathers to found and manage the Scuola di Astronomia e di Navigazione, to develop and improve marine exchange, after the settling of the free port of Trieste (Italy) in 1719.

Since then, the Institute´s name has been changed many times: Imperial-Regia Accademia di Commercio e Nautica (1817), Osservatorio Metereologico (1841), Osservatorio Marittimo (1903), Istituto Geofisico di Trieste (1921), Istituto Talassografico di Trieste (1941, later with the adding of the seismic station of Trieste it became Osservatorio Geofisico in 1949), Osservatorio Geofisico Sperimentale di Trieste (1958), Osservatorio Geofisico Sperimentale (1989).

The present name is National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics.

The Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS is a state national research Institute, located is in Sgonico (Trieste). The Law n. 399/1989 and decree n.381/1999 define Mission and tasks of OGS.