Increaing activity of the Soufriere Hills Volcano led to the setting up of an emergency monitoring network of seismometers and electronic tiltmeters. Reactivation of gas sampling and dry tilt stations around the volcano was also set up under the auspices of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO). The continuation of eruptive activity required improvements in the monitoring network both in terms of instrumentation and provision of scientific personnel.

The current monitoring network has five major components, all run primarily by the visiting scientific and local stall of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) under a rotating Chief Scientist from the seismic Research Unit and a Deputy Chief Scientist from the British Geological Survey.