The "Database of Individual Seismogenic Sources" was conceived in the late '90s by a group of scientists of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia. The Database has since been greatly improved through successive releases. Here are some excerpts from our reviewers.

"... DISS ... represents the most advanced database for seismogenic sources developed in a European seismotectonic context." Julian Bommer, Domenico Giardini, Mario Ordaz, Thierry Winter Final review of DPC-INGV S-projects 2004-2006 September 2007

"This seems like an indispensable tool for developing future seismic hazard models." Oona Scotti, Kyriazis Pitilakis, Edward Field Final review of DPC-INGV S-projects 2007-2009 July, 2010

Substantial updates are expected to appear approximately once a year. Users will be notified of any further versions both through this page and through an information box in the main DISS web page.

Following is a summary of its history and evolution.

July 2010: Version 3.1.1 (read more...) released as the final contribution to the project "Analysis of the seismic potential in Italy for the evaluation of the seismic hazard", funded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. June 2009: Version 3.1.0 (read more...) released as a contribution to the project "Analysis of the seismic potential in Italy for the evaluation of the seismic hazard", funded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. July and October 2007: Versions 3.0.3 and 3.0.4 (read more...) released as a contribution to the project "Assessing the seismogenic potential and the probability of large earthquakes in Italy", funded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. September 2006: Version 3.0.2 released, which includes a substantial extension of the database to the Mediterranean area. April 2006: Version 3.0.1 goes on Google Earth®. DISS takes advantage of the free software Google Earth to facilitate its users and expand its capabilities in disseminating data. November 2005: release of version 3.0.1, a stable version of the database both as a standalone application and as an online cartographic interface. May 2005: Beta release on the Internet of the standalone version of DISS 3.0, a simple MapInfo® application that shares the same data and the same structure with its web counterpart. January 2005: release of the web version of DISS 3.0, an Internet-based GIS application especially developed by IMteam. DISS 3.0 has an entirely new architecture and includes a substantial amount of new data structures and new information with respect to Version 2.0. September 2004: the new DISS (which is now the acronym of Database of Individual Seismogenic Sources) was presented as Version 3.0 at the XXIX General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission in Potsdam. October 2002: release of the Database of Potential Sources for Earthquakes Larger than M 5.5 in Europe, a web version of DISS 2.0 including seismogenic sources of the euro-mediterranean area. The database was one of the outcomes of Faust (Faults as a Seismologists’ Tool), a research project funded by the European Community. July 2001: new official version of DISS (Version 2.0), that was subsequently published in a special issue of Annali di Geofisica (Valensise and Pantosti, 2001, Annali di Geofisica 44(4) Suppl.). The volume included explanations on the database structure, an operating manual and the full database on a CD-ROM. July 2000: first official version of DISS (Version 1.0), a standalone MapInfo® application released for circulation within INGV and a few selected institutions. DISS’ structure was developed jointly by INGV scientists and by IMteam, a software consulting firm based in Bergamo. To download data tables follow this link: DISS Download Page