Reference · built on requestCommons signalEarth, seismic & volcanic

Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program

Holocene and Pleistocene volcanoes, eruption histories, and SO2 emissions from Volcanoes of the World, served as WFS by the Smithsonian.

Request accessPricing ↗

About

The Global Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History maintains Volcanoes of the World, a catalogue of Holocene and Pleistocene volcanoes and their eruptions. GVP serves it through a GeoServer WFS at webservices.volcano.si.edu; WMS and WCS are not offered. Layers include Smithsonian_VOTW_Holocene_Volcanoes, Smithsonian_VOTW_Pleistocene_Volcanoes, Smithsonian_VOTW_Holocene_Eruptions, and E3WebApp_Emissions, in CSV, GML, GeoJSON, KML, or Shapefile. The database is versioned; the current release is 5.4.0 of 7 August 2026.

Through Fibric, an operator joins your site list to the Holocene layer, ranks sites by distance and Last_Eruption_Year, and proposes which plans and inspections to review. You approve; the record cites the database version.

This is a reference listing. It documents what Fibric would read from Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program and what it could propose, based on the publisher's published interfaces. Fibric builds it under a managed deployment when you request it; selecting it here installs nothing.

Inputs

  • Holocene volcanoes with Volcano_Number, Volcano_Name, Primary_Volcano_Type, Last_Eruption_Year, Country, Region, Elevation, Tectonic_Setting, and GeoLocation
  • Pleistocene volcanoes with Volcano_Number, Volcano_Name, Volcanic_Landform, Geologic_Epoch, Country, Subregion, and GeoLocation
  • Holocene eruptions with Eruption_Number, Activity_Type, ExplosivityIndexMax, and StartDateYear and EndDateYear with their uncertainty and modifier fields
  • SO2 emissions with Emission_ID, VolcanoNumber, SO2_Kilotons, StartDate, and EndDate through E3WebApp_Emissions
  • Geological_Summary text and Primary_Photo_Link per Holocene volcano
  • Layer schemas through DescribeFeatureType and the layer list through GetCapabilities, on WFS 1.0.0, 1.1.0, and 2.0.0

Proposed actions

Read-only. This feed informs operators; it changes nothing.

Proposed actions are target capabilities. Every action runs propose-first and needs a validated deployment and the appropriate permissions.

What you can build

  • Rank sites by volcanic exposure

    The operator computes distance from each site to the nearest Holocene volcano, reads Last_Eruption_Year and Primary_Volcano_Type, and proposes a ranked list for your review with the database version cited.

    With Site Benchmark

  • Decide which sites need an evacuation roster

    Sites within a distance you set of a volcano with a recent Last_Eruption_Year are proposed for roster upkeep. You confirm the list; the record names each Volcano_Number.

    With Evacuation Roster

  • Keep hazard plans tied to the catalogue

    When a new database version moves a volcano between the Holocene and Pleistocene lists near a property, the operator proposes a review of that property's hazard plan.

    With Storm Prep

  • Attach exposure evidence to an audit

    For an insurer or auditor, the operator assembles the nearest volcanoes, their eruption history, and the citation into one packet and proposes it for your sign-off.

    With Compliance Evidence

Requirements

  • A WFS client or HTTP GET against webservices.volcano.si.edu/geoserver/GVP-VOTW/ows
  • The citation 'Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution' with the database version and date on anything you publish from it
  • Prior written permission from the Smithsonian for any commercial use of the content
Authentication
None. The WFS answers without a key; the capabilities document lists fees and access constraints as NONE.

Limits

  • This is a reference catalogue, not a current-status feed; alert levels come from the USGS HANS API or an observatory
  • Smithsonian terms allow personal, educational, and non-commercial use; commercial use needs prior written permission
  • Previous database versions are not available, so record the version number and upload date with every extract
  • Eruption dates arrive as year, month, and day parts with modifiers and uncertainty, and emission dates as strings, not single timestamps

Access and pricing

Reference listing. Public feed access is separate from Fibric integration. If you request this feed, your quote covers the build, usage, and support.

Request Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program ↗

Questions and answers

Is this a real-time feed?
No. Volcanoes of the World is a versioned catalogue. Third-level updates come from the literature and current eruption reports; second-level updates follow the completed review of a calendar year of eruptions. Current status comes from observatories, not this database.
Which formats and WFS versions work?
CSV, GML, GeoJSON, KML, and Shapefile through WFS 1.0.0, 1.1.0, and 2.0.0. GVP states that WMS and WCS are not available. GetCapabilities lists the layers; DescribeFeatureType gives each schema.
Can I use the data commercially?
Not without permission. The Smithsonian allows personal, educational, and other non-commercial use with citation and a link to volcano.si.edu. Commercial use, including products that incorporate the content, requires prior written permission from the Smithsonian.
Ask about Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program

Ask about the capabilities and requirements in this listing.

For project-specific requirements, contact Fibric.

This Commons signal listing is developed, published, and supported by Fibric. It reads public data published by Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program (webservices.volcano.si.edu). Upstream agencies and projects are the property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Fibric and do not sponsor or endorse this listing. Trademark policy