The Mediterranean Regional Information Network (MedRIN) held its Kick-off Meeting on 13 & 14 at Chania, in Greece organized by NASA Internships.

MedRIN aims to serve as a liaising network of remote sensing scientists. Cyprus joins the network!

The aim of these networks is the cooperation of institutions from the  participating countries in order to optimally exploit the latest technological developments in the field of Earth Observation, with satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. The network includes researchers from Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Turkey and Israel, and is expected to expand with institutions from Lebanon, Egypt and other North African and Middle Eastern countries.

The Department of Meteorology (DoM) in Cyprus organized a workshop for presenting the meteorological radar service network which is now available to the DoM on 17 November 2017 at Athalassa. During the workshop Dr. K. Nikolaides the Director of DoM presented the advantages of running a system like this especially for measuring rainfall, since the measurements are automatically recorded and processes by sophisticated algorithms. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Kougiali, noticed that this knowledge is not only about the satisfaction of academic research topics but also for the satisfaction of a series of needs such as flight and ship security, the investigations conducted in the exclusive zone of Cyprus as well as the timely updating of the weather for the appearance of extreme weather phenomena. Dr. R. Mamouri and Dr. A. Nisantzi had the opportunity to discuss with the Dr. K. Nikolaides the forthcoming collaboration through EXCELSIOR project by preparing a letter of commitment.

In order to establish string synergies between the proposed ECoE and the Israeli Space Agency (ISA),  during their visit to Israel, Dr. Christiana Papoutsa and Mr. Andreas Christofe met the Director of Department of External Relations & International Collaborations of the Israeli Space Agency (ISA) from the Ministry of Science, Technology & Space, the diplomat Leo Vinovezky.  Mr. Vinovezky presented the activities of the ISA and the VENS Earth Observation Satellite which is an Israeli-French Satellite that monitors vegetation on Earth using innovative propulsion and EO systems. Mr. Vinovezky expressed his interest to proceed with MOU between the current ERATOSTHENES research centre and ISA. Mr. Vinovezky highlighted that the collaboration of ISA with the ECoE (MOU) is important since it can act as a link in order to promote the collaboration between ISA and the Department of Electronic Communications, responsible for space activities in Cyprus. This liaison will be of benefit of both countries which have started creating links for future collaborations in several sectors including the space sector and will further support the positioning of ERATOSTHENES as a key player of Space based activities in the region.

EXCELSIOR was presented by member of the ERATOSTHENES Research Centre Ms Eleni Loulli, at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) within the framework of the weekly PhD seminar, organized by the Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management of TUM. The Chair belongs to the Department of Civil, Geo and Environmental Engineering of TUM. The research activities of the Chair concentrate on the two main areas of Integrated Water Resources Modelling, and Flood Modelling and Decentralized Flood Management. The team of the Chair uses remote sensing as a tool for their research and showed interest for a future collaboration. The TUM expressed their interested in collaborating further with EXCELSIOR in projects and especially partnering with Jordan for research opportunities in the East Mediterranean Region.

During the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly in Vienna, Austria, 8–13 April 2018, a session was organized entitled “AS5.1- Earth surveillance and space-based monitoring of the environment: Integrated approaches”. The Session, which was initiated within the framework of the activities of the EXCELSIOR project, was held under the Atmospheric Sciences Division and hosted a total of 33 papers. Six papers were presented in the Oral Session and the remaining ones were displayed in the Poster Session; both the Oral and Poster Sessions, took place on Friday 13 April 2018. Session AS5.1 was convened by Dr. Silas Michaelides and co-convened by the partners of the EXCELSIOR project, Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis from the Cyprus University of Technology, Dr. Gunter Schreier from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Dr. Harris Kontoes from the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) and Dr. Albert Ansmann from the German Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS). Several papers from the EXCELSIOR community were presented during this session, covering a wide spectrum of research activities, such as, bathymetry mapping with remote sensing, marine spatial planning, detection of fronts using the Sea Surface Temperature product of the Sentinel-3 SLSTR instrument, integrated use of space technologies, UAVs and field measurements for cultural heritage,  development and assessment of atmospheric correction algorithms for SENTINEL-2, remote-sensing-based methodologies for aerosol-cloud studies and cultural landscape risk identification. Both the Oral and Poster Sessions were considered very successful; the Oral Session was attended by more than 40 scientists from various related disciplines and the Poster Session attracted several attendees.

On behalf of the European Geosciences Union, Copernicus Publications will publish a Special Issue of the Journal Advances in Geosciences, under the same title as the AS5.1 Session. This Special Issue will host selected papers from this Session.

EXCELSIOR, organized an interactive workshop with the goal to promote collaborations in the sectors of Research, Education and Entrepreneurship in the context of the establishment of the new Centre of Excellence ERATOSTHENES. The workshop had a tripartite character: Firstly, the main objectives of the project were presented by Research Scientists of the ERATOSTHENES Research Centre of the Cyprus University of Technology (Prof Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Dr Kyriacos Themistocleous, Dr Chris Danezis, Dr Rodanthi- Elisavet Mamouri, Dr Christiana Papoutsa, Dr Georgia Kouta) who set the outline for the new Centre as well and its three pillars.

Secondly, a panel discussion session with the Space Technology experts from NASA, ESA, Copernicus, GEO, NOA, and others followed, which was moderated by Dr Themistocleous and which gave the opportunity to the participants to present their queries to the experts. Experts answered questions on the benefits of EO for Cyprus and how the ECoE would create opportunities for better monitoring of the environment in the region.  The final element of the workshop included an interactive online questionnaire on key questions regarding the research areas of the new Centre which called the participants to respond in real time. The workshop’s interactive nature aimed in unfolding and extending a discussion on the sectors which concerned the establishment of the new Centre of Excellence ERATOSTHENES.

The workshop was successful in informing the international Stakeholders of the RSCy2018 conference from the private, public, research, entrepreneurial and academic sectors regarding the opportunities and the benefits from the establishment of the EXCELSIOR project for Cyprus and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean. More than 120 Stakeholders were given the opportunity to promote further collaborations and common actions with the Centre of Excellence.

ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) has initiated its Business Incubation Centres (BICs) to work with and inspire entrepreneurs to turn space-connected business ideas into commercial start-ups companies. At the centres, the entrepreneurs are supported with technical expertise and business-development support. The Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) coordinates ESA’s seven Business Incubation Centres (BICs) in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, UK and Belgium. The BICs assists entrepreneurs and young companies to use space technologies and knowhow in innovative new products and services in non-space fields and also provide advice and support with business development. By the end of 2017, 18 ESA BICs in 15 European countries supported 140 start-ups. Over 500 new start-ups have been fostered creating thousands of new jobs and boosted regional economies while several more ESA BICs are under preparation.

The ESA BIC in Bavaria, Germany, was founded in 2009 and is managed by Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO). Together with its partners, the centre offers business start-up support and technical expertise in many space related areas, including satellite navigation, data systems, robotics and software systems. The ESA BIC Bavaria has business incubation offices in four locations in the region: the Oberpfaffenhofen headquarters and the branch offices in Nürnberg, Berchtesgadener Land and Ottobrunn.  The Excelsior team visited the headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen on March 22, 2018 and met with Thorsten Rudolph, Stefanie Hermann and Daniela Dobreva-Nielsen (Figure 15). Mr Rudolph, who is the CEO of the Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen, presented the activities of the ESA BIC. He agreed to discuss the opportunities through Excelsior to proceed with an ESA BIC in the Eastern Med region in the near future through ERC in order to foster and boost the earth observation sector and local and regional economy. The scientific expertise and development network of ESA BIC Bavaria’s partners will complement the local start-ups’ technical development and promote both the commercialisation and the usage of aerospace technologies in other growth areas.

Mr. Komodromos attended the meeting ESA with EU-Non Full members of ESA  at Paris in France at ESA Headquarters. 15 March 2018. Mr Komodromos highlighted the last two years activities in space for Cyprus and he presented also the Excelsior project. It was agreed also the Department of Electronic Communications to assist in the organisation of the Cyprus Space info session in September 2018. Mr. Komodromos had a meeting with  EURISYS and promoted EXCELSIOR as the Cyprus success story in Earth observation.

Cyta’s Innovation and Idea Development Center hosted during the 23rd to 25th of February, 2018, the first Cyta Smartcity Crowdhackathon.

Participants in the Hackathon included young entrepreneurs, developers, analysts and students which were called to develop pilot services and applications for solving problems that the Local Authorities face in order to support local and national development through new technologies. The Hackathon for the Development of Innovative Applications and Services invited participants to give solutions for smart cities through pilot applications on the Internet or/and through smart devices. EXCELSIOR project supports the Innovation and Idea Development Center of Cyta in the first Cyta Smartcity Crowdhackathon– A three day Hackathon for Smart Cities! 

The presentation was attended by significant stakeholders from the sector of economy, Municipalities and the academic community, as well as large organizations like Cyta, KPMG, Cyprus Research and Innovation Center (CyRIC), the innovation company Crowdpolicy, IDEA and all the participants of the Hackathon challenge. Members of the EXCELSIOR team networked with participants and informed interested stakeholders for the activities and aims of the project and arranged further meetings for collaborations!

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1st conference of the Remote Sensing and Space Applications, Committee of the Geological Society of Greece at  Αthens Harokopeion University

Mr Marios Tzouvaras presented the “EXCELSIOR Horizon 2020 Teaming project as a tool for the Eratosthenes Research Centre to become a Centre of Excellence in Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean region” during the first conference of the Remote Sensing and Space Applications,. The conference was organized by the Committee of the Geological Society of Greece

After having selected 14 new FabSpaces in various countries worldwide at the end of 2017, the FabSpace 2.0 project officially inaugurated the first joint activity of the fourteen new FabSpaces during the FabSpace 2.0 Workshop on Sharing Practices to Spread the FabSpace Spirit. The workshop was held in the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer Management of Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland. During the workshop, three key words were used as the main focus: Innovation, Simulation, and Earth Observation (EO). FabSpace 2.0 project aimed to stimulate (open) innovation in Earth Observation (among universities, civil society, corporates and public authorities) to make our planet a better place to live in by connecting EO (experts/data/SW) to other communities.

This workshop also placed a specific aim on sharing practices regarding operational and local awareness strategy. In this respect, the FabSpace 2.0 consortium stands ready to assist in the development of a comprehensive growth strategy for the new FabSpaces. The new FabSpaces will help consolidate the FabSpace 2.0 project’s mission all over the World, disseminating the services and helping to address the needs of final users of Earth Observation and geodata-based applications.

Upon officially inaugurated, each FabSpace could offer a “Space Science Shop” service that collects the needs and the societal challenges of external stakeholders (Civil Society Organisations, Public Authorities and Companies), linked to application domains of EO and satellite navigation uses (i.e., Agriculture and Forestry, Energy, Environment and resource efficiency, Intelligent Transport Systems, Smart cities, Health and well-being). The scope is to provide independent participatory research support in response to concerns experienced by external stakeholders, offering a demand-driven and bottom-up approach to the FabSpace facility and screening questions provided by these stakeholders. On behalf of EXCELSIOR, Dr Kyriakos Themistocleous, Stakeholder Manager of the project, represented CUT during the meeting in Poland.

One of the new FabSpaces manager, Prof. Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis from ERATOSTHENES Research Center, Cyprus University of Technology said:

“  The ERATOSTHENES Research Center is excited to have joined the FabSpace 2.0 project. We believe that the FabSpace 2.0 network shares our goals and vision to develop and promote innovative Earth Observation applications and services using open spatial data and geo-information technologies. This provides the ERATOSTHENES Research Center at the Cyprus University of Technology (School of Engineering and Technology) within the EXCELSIOR project (www.excelsior2020.eu) with the ability to become an open innovation centre in the Eastern Mediterranean region and improve its contribution to the socio-economic and environmental performance of Cyprus through the development and application of innovative Earth Observation applications, products and services. We believe that FabSpace approach brings a significant added-value in the promotion of new EO based applications and paves the way for the creation of new start-ups providing job opportunities and professional growth for students and researchers, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship in Europe and beyond.”

EXCLESIOR meets with the ambassador of Israel in Cyprus

The new ambassador of the Embassy of Israel in Cyprus, Mr Shmuel Revel, during his official visit to CUT, has been informed about the research activities and existing and possible collaborations with Israeli academia and industry. Within this context, the ambassador met EXCELSIOR, which was presented as one of the key strategic collaborations with Israel in space technologies and Earth Observation.

EXCLESIOR held its second Internal Meeting with Partners

EXCELSIOR project partners met in January 22-24, 2018 to discuss further the progress of the project and decide on the next steps. During the meeting, presentations were made regarding the next steps of the project from all partners: Cyprus University of Technology, acting as the coordinator, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), the German Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (MTCW) of the Republic of Cyprus, through its Department of Electronic Communications (DEC).

Also, important players in the Industry and Entrepreneurship Sector presented the benefits resulting from their collaboration with the EXCELSIOR project, placing the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence as a strategic partner in their action and strategic planning.

The ERATOSTHENENES Research Center is pleased to announce that it has become an associated partner to the FabSpace 2.0 Project, led by Université Paul Sabatier, which aims at fostering co-creation of innovative Earth Observation applications by enabling Universities to become Open Innovation Centres for their region.

The FABSPACE and EXCELSIOR project can work together to foster innovation EO solutions, support further business development, as well as exploit, sustain and disseminate EO applications and services.

ERATOSTHENES strongly supports the concept of creating a network of partnering Universities in many European countries for sharing good practices regarding educational programs and business mentoring as well as innovative application ideas developed by interdisciplinary project teams, based on using a free geo-information platform to access and process Earth Observation data and geo-spatial data.

We believe that the FabSpace approach brings a significant added-value in the promotion of new Earth Observation based applications and paves the way for the creation of new start-ups, providing job opportunities and professional growth for students and researchers, establishing mutually beneficial relationships in Europe and beyond.

What is FABSPACE 2.0

An open-innovation network for geodata-based innovation – by leveraging Space data in particular in Universities; A one-stop shop-access to Space data and a wide range of other data as well as free software and data processing tools to develop new digital applications.

https://www.fabspace.eu/

The Department of Electronic Communications (DEC) of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (MTCW) of the Republic of Cyprus, the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) and the Cyprus University of Technology co-organized a Stakeholder Meeting on “Space technologies and Earth observation’s benefits for Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean”, on Wednesday 13 December in the Senate Room at the University of Technology Cyprus, in Limassol.

The National Stakeholders meeting of EXCELSIOR project was organized on Wednesday, 13 of December, 2017 in the Senate Room. The meeting which was attended by representatives from the Public and Private Sectors, the Academia and the Industry, covering multiple sectors such as Engineering, Technology, Topography, Architecture but also Culture and the Environment. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the benefits of the establishment of the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence (CoE) which will be established through the realization of the EXCELSIOR project for Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as to map the needs and limitations in the use of space technologies.

The meeting which forms part of a more elaborate and specific meetings that will be co-organized from the EXCELSIOR and supporting partners, was addressed by Georgios Komodromos, the Director of Department of Electronic Communications (DEC), Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (MTCW) of the Republic of Cyprus. Mr. Komodromos stated the full support demonstrated by the Ministry towards the objectives and goals of EXCELSIOR and its importance for the future of the Electronic Communications in Cyprus. The contribution of the CoE in the fields of Research and in the creation of new innovative services and products, the Centre will place Cyprus on the international map for Earth Observation.

On behalf of ETEK, the member of the Administrative Committee, Mr Ntinos Nikolaidis, congratulated EXCELSIOR and the members of the ERATOSTHENES Research Centre for their work and contribution in highlighting the significance of Earth Observation for Cyprus. Regarding the collaboration between his organization and ERATOSTHENES he mentioned that ETEK fully supports the effort that has been initiated for the establishment of an autonomous and dynamic Centre of Excellence in Cyprus which will benefit all Cypriot Engineers with the provision of information, data and the development of new products and services.

The Rector of the Cyprus University of Technology, Prof. Andreas Anayiotos, greeted the collaboration between the ETEK, the statutory Technical Advisor to the State and the umbrella organization for all Cypriot Engineers with the ERATOSTHENES Research Centre and the EXCELSIOR project, since members of the ETEK can benefit from the multiple integrated uses of remote sensing and space-based techniques for monitoring the environment. Moreover, Prof. Anayiotos stressed that the University has already committed to support both financially and in providing infrastructure and in kind contributions, to the Centre of Excellence which will be established during Phase 2 so that all its objectives are met. Professor Christis Chrysostomou, Vice-Rector of Economic Planning and Development of Cyprus University of Technology was also present at the meeting and expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the stakeholder engagement.

Finally, a short address was delivered on behalf of the Limassol Municipality, by the Vice-Mayor Mr. Nikos Sykas, who stressed the support to EXCELSIOR from the early beginning and its benefits for the city where the new Centre will be established, mentioning the development opportunities and the job openings for more than 200 researchers, scientists, engineers and administrative staff.

During the Meeting, Dr Kyriakos Themistocleous, Stakeholder Manager of EXCELSIOR, presented the ways in which interested parties can be affiliated with the new Centre offering a variety of opportunities for collaboration. The Coordinator of the project, Prof. Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, made a presentation of the fields of activity that the new Centre will focus which include, inter alia, the Environment, Agriculture, Archaeology, Defense and Security, Water Management, Meteorology, Atmosphere, Electronic Communications, Forestry, Civil Defense etc. He also spoke about the importance of Open Data, like the SENTINEL from Copernicus and underlined that the project is fully aligned with the Smart Specialization Strategy of Cyprus in many areas, significantly enhancing the impact of the targeted regional and national investments, namely, Environment and ICT.

The Senior Researcher of CUT, Dr Kyriacos Neocleous and the Project Manager of EXCELSIOR, Dr Rodanthi– Elisavet Mamouri, presented the EXCELSIOR questionnaire to the participants which aimed in mapping the current needs and limitations in using space technologies. The participants discussed their organizations’ needs and conversed with the ERATOSTHENES researchers for the benefits of their collaboration with the Centre.

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STELIOS ACHNIOTIS, President of Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK)
Interview to Dr Georgia Kouta, Post-Doctoral Researcher, ERC

How do you perceive the impact of the establishment of an Earth Observation Centre of Excellence in Cyprus, on both the domestic and international level?

I believe this is a very innovative endeavor, as such a Centre is much needed in Cyprus. The establishment of an Earth Observation Centre of Excellence in Cyprus will have tremendous impact not only in Cyprus but also in Europe, the Middle East and globally. The Centre of Excellence will be ideally suited to encourage innovation in both research and industry through the use of Earth Observation. This is an excellent opportunity to create more jobs in which Earth Observation techniques can be applied to resolve issues. The integration of different Earth Observation techniques for a better understanding, monitoring and consequently better exploitation and protection of the physical, built and human environment provide critical information through end user products that are crucial for more informed decision making oriented towards protection and management of environment and resources.

The Government of Cyprus and many semi government agencies, as well as industry and our members, will definitely benefit from the establishment of the Centre of Excellence, as it will provide them with resources to ensure public health and safety.

It is my opinion that such a Centre can also prove invaluable to engineers and other professionals, as it will provide them with new data that they can incorporate into their practices. This will also have a positive impact on the economy, as it will provide new jobs and opportunities to young professionals in the fields of engineering.

Considering that the ERATOSTHENES CoE objectives fully comply with the Smart Specialisation Strategy for Cyprus, which would you consider to be the economic benefits from the establishment of this CoE for Cyprus in the forthcoming years?

The economic benefits of the Centre of Excellence are quite substantial, considering that the Centre is in full compliance with the Smart Specialisation Strategy for Cyprus, which includes Tourism, Energy, Agriculture & Food Industry, Built Environment & Construction Industry, Transportation & Maritime Industry and Health.

As engineers, we are primarily focused on the Built Environment/Construction industry and the Transportation/ Maritime industry, which in turn affect the Tourism industry, which is the main industry in Cyprus.

Earth Observation applications that can be developed for the Built Environment & Construction industry and the Transportation & Maritime industry will significantly affect the productivity of engineers in a positive way, by providing them with the necessary information and tools to do their jobs more efficiently and ensure public safety.

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The EXCELSIOR project was presented at the 2nd Pan-Hellenic Conference on Digital Cultural Heritage (EUROMED 2017) conference that took place in Volos, Greece from 1-3 December, 2017. Dr Kyriacos Themistocleous presented a paper on “Earth Observation and Space-based applied to Cultural Heritage: current capabilities and future perspectives”, which included a poster presentation and discussion on the EXCELSIOR project and future collaboration. During the EUROMED2017 Conference, Dr Themistocleous presented also other running projects of the ERASTOTHENES Research Centre in which Earth observation is used for cultural heritage such as the ATHENA Twinning Project ‘From space to ground. Digital techniques for the investigation of monuments and sites’ , the CLIMA ‘Cultural Landscape risk Identification, Management and Assessment’ and PROTHEGO, ‘PROTection of European Cultural HEritage from GeO-hazards’.

Paper presentation:

The Establishment of the EXcellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR) for the eastern Mediterranean Region

http://euromed2017.eu/euromed2017-conference-proceedingsboa/

EXCELSIOR organized successfuly its first Stakeholder Meeting entitled “Space technologies and Earth observation’s benefits for Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean” in Nicosia on November 23rd. More than 100 National Stakeholders attended the event which was under  the auspices of the Honorable Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Mr Marios Demetriades

The objective of the meeting was to inform National Stakeholders form the Private and Public sector, the Industry and the Academia regarding the benefits arising from collaboration with EXCELSIOR and its impact in Cyprus and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean. It also aimed in fostering partnerships and collaborations as well as common actions between the National Stakeholders and the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence.

Mr. Marios Tzouvaras, Research Associate at the Eratosthenes Research Centre (CUT) presented the current activities of the Eratosthenes Research Centre and described the vision to upgrade the existing Research Centre into a sustainable and autonomous Centre of Excellence in the field of Earth Observation and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment, in the framework of EXCELSIOR project. The importance of collaboration with acknowledged research centres was also highlighted. Participants came together from the Università degli Studi della Tuscia, University of Stirling, University of Copenhagen and Alma Sistemi SAS.

Professor Diofantos Hadjimitsis (EXCELSIOR’s coordinator) and Dr Kyriacos Neocleous (member of EXCELSIOR’s quality assurance team) attended the Teaming Phase 1 Coordinators Meeting, an event organised on 9th November 2017 by the EC’s Research Executive Agency in Brussels (Covent Garden Building). The meeting included welcome speeches by Marc Bellens (Head of Department REA-B) and Mr. Peter van De Zandt (Head of Unit REA-B5) as well as presentations on a range of aspects relating to Phase 1 and Phase 2 Teaming projects. Professor Andreja Kutnar (Director of the ongoing InnoRenew Centre of Excellence) also made a presentation on her experience as coordinator of a Teaming Phase 2 project, while Inka Vaverkova (representative of the Czech Ministry of Education) made a presentation on the role of managing authorities in Teaming projects. At the end of the meeting, Professor Hadjimitsis and Dr Neocleous had a bilateral meeting with Mr Yiannis Vacondios (EXCELSIOR’s EC project officer) to discuss the progress of the EXCELSIOR project. During the event, the EXCELSIOR team also had the opportunity to meet the coordinators of other ongoing Teaming Phase 1 projects.

EXCELSIOR has been presented at the GEO-CRADLE stand and session at the GEO-XIV Plenary in Washington D.C. through the NOA team (coordinated by Dr Haris Kontoes)

Christiana Papoutsa from Cyprus University of Technology gave a presentation of the ‘EXCELSIOR’ project during the MID TERM meeting of the ‘SEO–DWARF’ project, funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (MSCA–RISE). During her presentation she mentioned what is the vision of the upcoming Centre of Excellence ‘EXCELSIOR’ and she pointed out how relative activities of the ‘EXCELSIOR’ can benefit the progress of the ‘SEO-DWARF’ Project. Further, during the meeting both Christiana Papoutsa and Milto Miltiadou from CUT had the opportunity to discuss with the partners coming both from the industrial and academic sectors for future collaborations with the ‘EXCELSIOR’ Centre of Excellence.

A strong and experienced research team, of 4 academic and 5 industrial partners, coming from Greece, Italy, Germany, France, Cyprus and Bulgaria constitute the project’s consortium.

Industrial partners: (1) TWT GmbH Science & Innovation; (2) Planetek Italia S.r.l.; (3) I-SEA SAS; (4) Planetek Hellas EPE; and (5) CloudSigma AG and
Academic partners: (1) Laboratory of Remote Sensing, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA); (2) Cyprus University of Technology (CUT); (3) Department of Marine studies, University of the Aegean; and (4) University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Department of Computer Science.

Prof.  Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, and PhD candidate Andreas Christophe during the EARSEL workshop presented a paper on the “EXcellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region: the establishment of EO hub for data, products and services” and “Earth Observation for Forestry Applications in Cyprus”. During his presentation Prof. Hadjimitsis presented his vision about the Centre of Excellence by highlighting the following: ‘The new Centre to be the top-leading one in the Eastern-Med region! To host top scientists in earth observation! To be a sustainable centre through European and national funds! To provide product and services / Hub!‘Cyprus’ to be on the ‘European Map of Earth Observation’!’. He highlighted also that through the Widening Horizon 2020 call, the Eratosthenes Research Centre based on its existing experience of coordinating the ‘ATHENA’ Twinning project (www.athena2020.eu) has the capacity to move one step forward and be successful on the EXCELSIOR phase 2 project. During the EARSEL workshop the following poster papers have been also presented:

‘Earth Observation for Foresty Applications in Cyprus’ & ‘Exploring the Importance of Monitoring the Fire Risk Index in the vicinity of Cultural Heritage Sites in Cyprus using Sentinel Remote Sensing data’.

The EXCELSIOR team had interesting meetings with stakeholders from European and worldwide agencies, industry and the academia. Dr Vincent Ambrosia –NASA member of the Excelsior Advisory board and Prof. Rosa Lasaponara-CNR (partner in the ATHENA project) joined also the EARSEL workshop.

The EXCELSIOR team had interesting meetings with stakeholders from European and worldwide agencies, industry and the academia. The following institutions have agreed to collaborate with EXCELSIOR to achieve its goals:
1. Technical University of Crete, Greece
2. Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece
3. EFTAS, Remote Sensing Transfer of Technology, Germany
4. South Dakota State University, USA
5. University of Montpellier, France
6. University of Balamand Lebanon
7. RUDN University, Russia
8. Italian National Research Council (CNR)

Dr Kyriacos Themistocleous presented the EXCELSIOR Project at the SPIE Remote Sensing Conference in Warsaw, Poland which is one of the worldwide leading remote sensing conferences on Monday, 11 September 2017 and on Tuesday, 12 September, 2017. During the presentation, he had the opportunity to present the project to the conference participants and address the potential impact of the EXCELSIOR project for remote sensing applications in Europe and the Eastern Meditteranean region. During the conference, a wide range of topics were presented which addressed the latest developments in earth observing systems, technologies and applications.

Dr Haris Kontoes, Research Director of NOA presented EXCELSIOR Teaming project at the 82nd Thessaloniki Fair during the GENERAL SECRETARIAT FOR RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY – ‘Research and Innovation for Society’ Session on 9^th of September 2017.

Meet us at NOA stand to learn more about Excelsior from 9^th to 17^th of September 2017.

Mr Dimitris Kouhartsiouk gave an oral presentation for the EXCELSIOR project, during the Remote Sensing & Photogrammetry Society Annual Conference (RSPSoc2017) ‘Earth & Planets: Making the most of our Observations’. The RSPSoc2017 took place in Imperial College, London between the 5th to 8th of September 2017. During the Conference posters for other ERC projects such […]..Read more

Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at the Cyprus University of Technology, presented the H2020 Teaming project “EXCELSIOR” at the Final Multiplier Event of INTRAPRISE project on 29th of August 2017. Participants of the event included high-level executives of local enterprises, consultants, academics, life-long learning trainers and post-graduate students. During the event, a wide range of topics related to Intrapreneurship were presented having as a common goal to increase employability, innovation, productivity, and performance in a period of serious economic challenges.

Dr. Panayiotis Philimis (CEO) from CyRIC (Cyprus Research and Innovation Centre) visited ERATOSTHENES Research Centre and discussed with Prof. Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis and his team, research and development opportunities for the EXCELSIOR project. During the meeting (14/07/2017) both sides have agreed in strategic collaboration in areas of Research & Innovation and business opportunities of the proposed Centre of Excellence.

CyRIC is the only Business Innovation Center (EU-BIC) in Cyprus certified by European Business Network offering professional Research, Innovation and Business services with the mission to support the local development and growth of innovative entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs.

CyRIC is the major supporter of the EXCELSIOR project.

During the Geo-Cradle meeting in Brussels Dr Kontoes and Dr Mammouri had the opportunity to present and promote Excelsior project...Read more

Presentation of the ‘EXCELSIOR’ Teaming project by Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis, Dr Christiana Papoutsa and Dr Kyriacos Themistocelous at Pissouri Village in Cyprus during the final stakeholders meeting of the ‘Cascade’ FP-7 project. The National Event of Cascade Project was hosted by the Community Council of Pissouri in Paphos aiming to present the final results of the Cascade Project to the stakeholders, public authorities and farmers in Cyprus. The members of the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment lab of the Eratosthenes Research Centre explores the high importance of using earth observation, Radar techniques and UAV’s for monitoring degraded areas due desertification and overgazing in Eastern Mediterranean region and especially in Cyprus.

Presentation of the ‘EXCELSIOR’ Teaming project by Dr. Kyriacos Themistocleous at the Copernicus Relays and Copernicus Academy meeting in Brussels, Belgium. All members included the ‘ERATOSTHENES Research Centre’ of the Copernicus Network met in Brussels to receive the official welcome from the European Parliament and Commission.

Presentation of the mission and vision of the EXCELSIOR project during the 37th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, (ISRSE) by Dr Kyriacos Themistocleous. Dr Themistocleous presented the expected outcomes of the EXCELSIOR Project at the 37th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, (ISRSE), which convenue in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa 8-12 May 2017 under the overarching theme “Earth Observation for Development and Adaptation to a Changing World”. During the ISRSE Dr Themistocleous from CUT and Mr. Gunter Schreier from DLR promotes the EXCELSIOR Project to key earth observation stakeholders.

The CyCARE campaign – a common initiative between the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), Limassol and TROPOS – will fill a gap in the global understanding of aerosol-cloud interaction. The CyCARE campaign, which began in October 2016 and will last until April 2018, mainly aims to determine the role of different aerosol types on cloud […]..Read more