Professor Diofantos Hadjimitsis the Coordinator of the Excelsior #H2020 presented the “EXCELSIOR” project and the #EratosthenesCentreofExcellence during the Copernicus Academy Monthly video conference meeting which was organised on the 20th of May 2020. During the video meeting, there was a participation of more than 55 participants. Mr. Mettas and Dr. Tzouvaras from ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence joined also meeting.
Professor Diofantos Hadjimitsis, participated at the Copernicus Academy Monthly Video Conference which took place on the 20th of May 2020. During his presentation entitled ‘The ERATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment-‘EXCELSIOR’, H2020 widespread teaming phase 2 project’ he presented the EXCELSIOR Project.
Ιn 2007, the Remote Sensing & Geo–Environment Lab (Eratosthenes Research Centre -ERC) was established within the Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics of the Cyprus University of Technology. In 2019, they won a proposal under H2020 widespread teaming. The Excelsior project aims to upgrade the existing Remote Sensing & Geo-Environment Lab into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence: the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence (ECoE).
The project kicked-off at the end of November 2019 and is composed of a consortium with partners from Cyprus, Greece and Germany. Cyprus was chosen as it has a unique geostrategic position and is ideal for calibration and validation processes, as well as for acquiring cloud-free satellite images.
Why ECoE? They identified some needs and opportunities for Earth Observation in Cyprus. For example, there was a need for more data on the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa region (EMMENA).Applications belong to the fields of deformation monitoring, flood risk analysis, water leakage detection, fire detection, managing cultural heritage, agricultural applications, air pollution and climate change, air quality/aerosols, maritime awareness/ship detection and land cover changes.
The Excelsior project has a € 44 million budget (15 million from the EC, 15 million from the Republic of Cyprus and 8 million from the university). It will run for 15 years, from October 2019 to September 2034. They will build new infrastructures, employ around 100 people and develop a state-of-the-art remote sensing research lab, just to name a few of the initiatives that will be carried out.
Within the next 7 years, they aim to become a world-class Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) for EO and Geospatial Information, becoming the reference Centre in the Eastern Mediterranean and in EMMENA. There will be three departments (environment and climate, resilient society; and big earth data analytics), as well as 13 thematic research areas.They will provide relevant information for decision making to science, industry and governments in order to support policies, business development, generate economic growth and ultimately improve the quality of life for all citizens.
The ECoE will be established in the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol, Cyprus with supporting infrastructures in coastal municipalities. They are open for collaboration with other universities, research centres and industrial partners.
The Agenda:
✍🏻 Updates of the FPCUP project – Framework Partnership Agreement on Copernicus User Uptake
Julia Röhrig, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
✍🏻 State-of-the-art of the Copernicus Start-Up programme:
• Copernicus Masters; Monika Mayr, AZO
• Copernicus Accelerator; Florentyna Smith, SpaceTec Partners
• Copernicus Incubation; Nicolas Helssen, Verhaert
• Copernicus Hackathons; Maximilian Heiser, AZO
📢 The ERATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment-‘EXCELSIOR’, H2020 widespread teaming phase 2 project
Diofantos Hadjimitsis, Department of Civil Engineering & Geomatics, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Cyprus University of Technology & Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence
To download the EXCELSIOR presentation please Click Here
✍🏻 COVID-19 Custom Script Contest winner: monitoring of lettuce production
Karl Chastko
✍🏻 Introduction of a new member:
Facultad Politécnica de la Universidad Nacional de Asunción – PARAGUAY;
Rossana Villalba
