Norsar Innovation
NORSAR is an independent Norwegian research foundation that operates seismic monitoring networks and develops software for seismic modeling and microseismic monitoring, serving government, energy, construction, and insurance clients as Norway's official CTBT National Data Centre.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersKjeller, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Norsar Innovation does
NORSAR is an independent Norwegian research foundation headquartered in Kjeller, Norway, specializing in seismology and seismic monitoring. Founded in 1968, the organization has served since 1999 as Norway's official National Data Centre for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), operating six international monitoring stations across Norwegian territory including the mainland, Svalbard, Jan Mayen, and Antarctica. Its core capabilities span seismic network operations, automatic event detection, microseismic analysis, hazard and risk modeling, and fiber-optic sensing, supported by what it describes as one of the world's leading software platforms for seismic modeling.
The commercial face of the foundation is delivered through NORSAR Innovation and the NORSAR Software Suite, which comprises Seismic Modelling, Microseismic Monitoring, and Hazard and Risk Modelling modules, with the 2026 release adding PasMon for operational microseismic monitoring. Beyond software licensing, NORSAR generates revenue through coordinated EU Horizon Europe research projects (MEDiate, TOGETHER, AIR, TURNkey, ENSURE), Research Council of Norway grants (notably the REMWAR project 2025-2028), Norwegian government CTBT and national-security contracts, and commercial monitoring services for energy and infrastructure clients including the Northern Lights CO2 storage facility, NVE's Åknes rockslide monitoring, and oil & gas operators. In 2025, the foundation restructured into a Security and Resilience unit (led by Deputy CEO Arve E. Mjelva) and a Geoscience Technologies unit (led by Tina Kaschwich), under CEO Birger Steen, to commercialize detection seismology across international arms control, national security, and energy customers.
Norsar Innovation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Norsar Innovation
- Legal name
- NORSAR
- Website
- https://norsar.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NORSAR is an independent Norwegian research foundation that operates seismic monitoring networks and develops software for seismic modeling and microseismic monitoring, serving government, energy, construction, and insurance clients as Norway's official CTBT National Data Centre.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Norsar Innovation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Seismic Monitoring Software
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Modeling, Simulation, Digital Twins & Mission Rehearsal Systems (IMABAOAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IAEA Safeguards Implementation & Verification Support (inspections, declarations, reporting) (EUAKAJAE), NDT/NDE Inspection Equipment (Ultrasonic, eddy current, radiography, thermography) (IMAGAFAI)
Keywords
Where Norsar Innovation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kjeller
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Norsar Innovation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Software Licensing and Subscriptions: NORSAR develops and licenses commercial software products including the NORSAR Software Suite for seismic modeling, microseismic monitoring, and hazard/risk modeling. Revenue generated through software sales and subscriptions to commercial and public sector customers in energy, construction, and insurance sectors.
- EU Research Project Funding: NORSAR coordinates and participates in EU-funded research projects (Horizon Europe) and receives grants from the Research Council of Norway (RCN), contributing to revenue as project coordinator and research partner.
- Government Contracts: As Norway's official National Data Centre for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1999, NORSAR operates six international monitoring stations on Norwegian territory and advises national authorities on treaty-related matters, providing a stable revenue stream.
- Commercial Monitoring Services: Monitoring services for oil and gas industry, CO2 storage facilities (Northern Lights), microseismic monitoring for underground carbon capture storage, geothermal energy development, avalanche and landslide monitoring.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Norsar Innovation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Norsar Innovation is the commercial software and services arm of NORSAR, an independent Norwegian research foundation specializing in seismology and seismic monitoring. It develops and licenses the NORSAR Software Suite for seismic modeling, microseismic monitoring, and hazard/risk modeling, and provides commercial seismic monitoring services for energy, construction, government, and insurance customers.
Product overview
Norsar Innovation offers the NORSAR Software Suite as its primary commercial software platform. The suite includes three core software modules: Seismic Modelling for survey planning and simulation; Microseismic Monitoring for event detection and analysis; and Hazard and Risk Modelling for earthquake-induced risk assessment. The 2026 release introduced PasMon, a new product expanding the platform into operational microseismic monitoring. The company also operates the Norwegian National Seismic Network and provides zonation maps as part of their service offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NORSAR Software Suite: Seismic software solutions including seismic modeling, microseismic monitoring, and hazard and risk modelling applications.
- PasMon
Products and services
- NORSAR Software Suite Comprehensive software platform for seismic modeling and microseismic monitoring, used by oil and gas companies and research institutions worldwide. Includes modules for survey planning, survey evaluation, processing and interpretation support, 4D time-lapse surveys, and reservoir analysis.
- PasMon Brand-new product within the NORSAR Software Suite 2026 that expands the platform into operational microseismic monitoring, enabling automatic detection and analysis of microseismic events for industrial applications.
- Seismic Modelling Software Standalone software product for seismic modeling and simulation, supporting survey planning, survey evaluation, processing, and interpretation for oil and gas exploration and research institutions.
- Hazard and Risk Modelling Software Software solutions for earthquake-induced hazard, risk and resilience modelling, including ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides, and tsunami analysis, used by construction and engineering consultants.
- Microseismic Monitoring Software Software for detecting and analyzing microseismic events, including automatic event detection for applications such as CO2 storage monitoring, geothermal energy, and underground storage safety.
- Seismic Monitoring Services Commercial seismic monitoring services for oil and gas industry, CO2 storage facilities (e.g., Northern Lights), geothermal energy development, avalanche and landslide monitoring. Includes operation of the Norwegian National Seismic Network.
- Soneringskart (Zonation Map) Public-facing digital zoning map service for seismic hazard, integrating NORSAR's hazard models with Standard Norway's ground acceleration maps in accordance with Eurocode 8. Provided to construction and engineering professionals.
- Fiberoptic Sensing Services Seismic and fiber-optic sensing services utilizing NORSAR's distributed acoustic sensing technology for monitoring applications across the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Independently verified incidents near Ukrainian nuclear power plants (2022) and helicopter crash in Barentsburg (2017)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Norsar Innovation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Norsar Innovation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Norsar Innovation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- PRIO (Peace Research Institute Oslo)corePRIO is the project lead for the REMWAR (Recording Explosive Munitions for the Analysis of War Crimes) project, which uses seismic and acoustic monitoring to track the war in Ukraine and analyze combat-related explosions.
- Oslo kommune (Oslo Municipality)majorOslo Municipality collaborates as a test bed partner in EU projects (MEDiate and TOGETHER) for disaster risk management and governance enhancement, with Beredskapsetaten (Emergency Preparedness Agency) participating.
- Stichting DeltaresmajorDeltares is a partner in the MEDiate EU project, contributing to multi-hazard risk assessment and disaster risk governance alongside NORSAR and other European institutions.
- University of StrathclydemajorUniversity of Strathclyde participates in both MEDiate and TOGETHER EU projects as a research partner in disaster risk management.
- Norwegian Polar InstituteminorCollaboration related to the new NORSAR station in Antarctica, with logistics support from Troll Station operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute.
- Standard NorwaymajorStandard Norway's maps of ground acceleration values in accordance with Eurocode 8 have been integrated into NORSAR's Zoning Map portal, providing digital access to standardized seismic hazard maps.
- NVE (Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat)coreNVE is responsible for monitoring unstable mountainsides including Åknes, with NORSAR operating a permanent microseismic monitoring network as part of the monitoring system.
- University of BergenminorThe University of Bergen operates the seismic station in Bergen, which is part of the Norwegian National Seismic Network (NNSN) coordinated by NORSAR.
- POLAR SEA 2050 ConsortiummajorNORSAR is one of 18 research institutes and universities participating in Norway's largest research project ever (POLAR SEA 2050), focusing on polar research with kick-off in February 2026.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Norsar Innovation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sercel: Subsidiary of CGG and global leader in seismic acquisition equipment (nodes, streamers, sensors). Provides the upstream hardware complement to NORSAR's seismic modeling and microseismic processing software.
- SLB (Schlumberger): Global energy services major with deep seismic acquisition, processing, and interpretation software (Omega, Petrel). Overlaps directly with NORSAR Innovation's seismic modeling and reservoir analysis capabilities, though SLB operates across the full upstream oil & gas value chain rather than as a research foundation.
- British Geological Survey (BGS): UK national geological survey providing seismic monitoring, hazard assessment, and earth-observation research. Comparable to NORSAR in mission (national seismic network operator, hazard modelling) and institutional positioning, though broader in geological scope.
- Halliburton (Landmark): Halliburton's Landmark division offers seismic processing, interpretation, and reservoir software (DecisionSpace, GeoGraphix) comparable to NORSAR's seismic modelling suite for oil & gas exploration and reservoir characterization.
Direct peers
- CGG: French geophysical services and technology company offering seismic data acquisition, processing, and reservoir characterization software. Direct overlap with NORSAR's seismic modeling and microseismic monitoring offerings for the energy sector.
- ESG Solutions (Itasca): Specialist in microseismic monitoring services and software for mining, oil & gas, and CCS/geothermal applications. Directly comparable to NORSAR's microseismic monitoring and PasMon operational monitoring capabilities.
- Kinemetrics: Manufacturer of seismic monitoring instrumentation and software for nuclear-test-ban verification, strong-motion, and structural monitoring. Highly comparable to NORSAR's seismic sensor networks and CTBT verification instrumentation.
- Nanometrics: Designer and manufacturer of seismological instruments and monitoring systems used globally for earthquake and nuclear-test monitoring. Closely comparable to NORSAR's seismic monitoring instrumentation and CTBT National Data Centre operations.
- Güralp Systems: UK-based manufacturer of broadband seismometers and seismic monitoring systems for earthquake, volcano, and nuclear-test-ban monitoring. Operates in the same seismic sensor and monitoring infrastructure category as NORSAR's hardware and software.
Regional players
- NORCE Norwegian Research Centre: Norwegian applied research institute with adjacent geoscience, energy, and climate expertise including offshore wind, CCS, and subsurface monitoring. Comparable as a domestic Norwegian research counterpart and potential collaborator/competitor for applied geoscience and energy projects.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Norsar Innovation social profiles
Digital presenceNorsar Innovation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Norsar Innovation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Norsar Innovation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Norsar Innovation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Norsar Innovation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Norsar Innovation
What does Norsar Innovation do?
Norsar Innovation is the commercial software and services arm of NORSAR, an independent Norwegian research foundation specializing in seismology and seismic monitoring. It develops and licenses the NORSAR Software Suite for seismic modeling, microseismic monitoring, and hazard/risk modeling, and provides commercial seismic monitoring services for energy, construction, government, and insurance customers.
Is Norsar Innovation a public or private company?
Norsar Innovation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Norsar Innovation founded?
Norsar Innovation was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Norsar Innovation based?
Norsar Innovation is headquartered in Kjeller, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Norsar Innovation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are EU Research Project Funding, government Contracts and commercial Monitoring Services.
Who are Norsar Innovation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sercel, SLB (Schlumberger), British Geological Survey (BGS) and Halliburton (Landmark). Direct peers are CGG, ESG Solutions (Itasca), Kinemetrics, Nanometrics and Güralp Systems. NORCE Norwegian Research Centre is listed as a regional player.
Does Norsar Innovation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Norsar Innovation.
What industry is Norsar Innovation in?
Norsar Innovation's product category is Seismic Monitoring Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAOAL, Modeling, Simulation, Digital Twins & Mission Rehearsal Systems, with a secondary code of EUAKAJAE, IAEA Safeguards Implementation & Verification Support (inspections, declarations, reporting). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.