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Innovative digital applications are invaluable for the documentation and conservation of cultural heritage monuments. Digital techniques can provide data on cultural heritage sites to enhance understanding of their changes over time. Due to the age and conditions of cultural heritage monuments in Cyprus, especially churches, there is a great demand to develop a methodology that is capable of digitizing both the internal and external church using a variety of non-invasive techniques as a means of storing and managing documentation data and metadata for providing comprehensive culturally digital and documentation evidence. In this paper, the integration of various technologies was used to document the 12th century St. Efstathios Chapel in Kolossi, Cyprus. The methodologies included data acquired by close-range images from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and hand-held cameras, coordinates from ground control points using Total Stations etc., to document both the internal and external facades and relics of selected religious monuments. Thousands of images from the monument were taken using a UAV with a high-resolution camera. The images were processed using photogrammetry to provide a digital model of the church. The use of the HSV color model was used to examine potential anomalies in the structure. The combination of the technologies will provide a 3D model to document and identify ecclesiastical cultural heritage sites, which can be incorporated into a dynamic database and valuable resource to better understand the cultural heritage monument. In this way, the end-users will be able to access the information from the digital platform at any time. This research is supported by the project entitled: “Navigators of Cultural Heritage Digitization of Churches of Cyprus and Crete” referred as “Digital unblocking of holy islands” and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)and by national funds of Greece and Cyprus, under the Cooperation Programme “INTERREG V-A Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020”.

Cyprus enters the space arena with the ‘EXCELSIOR’ project. ‘EXCELSIOR’ is expected to bring change in many aspects, including new opportunities for researchers, enhanced skills development for future experts in the Earth Observation and Geoinformation sector on a local, national, European and global level. Due to its geographical proximity, ‘EXCELSIOR’ can become a hub for partners in Middle Eastern and Northern African countries. Cyprus’s unique geostrategic position can support Earth Observation from satellites programmes in three continents and provide valuable services in the processes of satellite calibration and validation. The ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence (ECoE), with its expertise and infrastructure, could further complement the existing network of international ground stations. Cyprus is ideally located to host the ECoE, due to its climate, which is characterized by 300 days of sunshine a year, providing excellent weather conditions for cloud free satellite images.There are some distinct needs and opportunities that motivate the establishment of an Earth Observation Centre of Excellence in Cyprus. The needs include: i) to establish a Supersite for aerosol and cloud monitoring in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa (EMMENA): strong demand for EO monitoring to provide data to evaluate the extent of pollution and climate change, especially in the EMMENA region; ii) to observe droughts and water shortages in the EMMENA region; iii) to adopt Rehabilitation programmes in EMMENA; iv) to reduce Disaster Risk and v) to create a Regional Digital Innovation Hub for Earth Observation in Cyprus. The foreseen opportunities include: i) the ECoE has the potential to become a catalyst for facilitating and enabling Regional, European and International cooperation; ii) the Eco E can capitalise on the favourable environmental, weather and climatic conditions of Cyprus to conduct cutting-edge research with impact in various sectors, including climate change, marine, solar energy, etc.; iii) the development of the Cyprus Space Strategy, which can be exploited for further Earth observation research and applications; iv) create a unique European capacity in Cyprus by mobilizing internal national assets and consolidating European EO capabilities in Cyprus to serve EMMENA. The ECoE will procure and develop the European Satellite Ground Stations covering the EMMENA region; v) accessing funding instruments for Earth Observation at the national and European Level and vi) the development of Big Data management and analytics. The EXCELSIOR project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 857510 and from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for the European Programmes, Coordination and Development.

The impact of medium-sized southern European cities challenges on the “smartness” of the city is a quite interesting case that is not quite analyzed yet. Our scientific objective is to find a simple understandable model linking human smart characteristics to a group of socio-demographic and urban environment indices, applied to the case of Limassol Urban Complex, the southernmost European city, with a total population of 208 980. The data set of the analysis contains 25 variables in 3 thematic domains using as spatial analysis level, the 126 postal code areas of the most urbanized part of the city. The study results obtained through multivariate statistical analysis and thematic cartography using GIS technology. The results reveal that the human smart characteristics consist of the use of high-speed internet and broad band telephony, recycling activities, employment in creative industry, high educational attainment and open-mindedness (i.e. participation in EU elections), are significantly correlated with demographic dynamics and built infrastructure characteristics. Creativity and open-mindedness tend to appear in most densely urban areas, mostly occupied by indigenous inhabitants. Recycling and technology oriented smart characteristics are mostly correlated with no-native residents, and high educational attainment. In the outskirts of the city of Limassol the developing dynamics are almost the same with a greater blend between native and non-native inhabitants.

Spatial Planning is a critical tool for land management and is extensively used in all developed nations. The Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), at the European Union (EU) level, is based on Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and Council of 23rd July 2014 which establishes a common framework for MSP in the EU, which each Member State is called to apply in relation to the maritime space under its jurisdiction (marine waters). In this paper the overall results from the "Cross-Border Cooperation for the development of Marine Spatial Planning" project are presented for the area of Cyprus. A variety of activities fall within the MSP such as maritime transport routes and traffic flows, exploration, exploitation and extraction of energy resources, tourism, underwater cultural heritage etc. In addition, the legal framework, activities maps are also shown. The variety of conflicts maps for the area of Limassol are illustrated both in 2D and 3D. A hypothetical scenario of Limassol town in Cyprus as an energy center is presented based on the overall results. The paper ends with some conclusions regarding the framework of MSP in Cyprus.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a cost-effective technique that can be used to survey large archaeological areas and landscapes compared to traditional methods. Since UAVs are capable of surveying archaeological areas from above, datasets derived on this platform can be used to generate accurate orthophotos, digital surface models (DSMs) and a variety of datasets that can be used to document and identify archaeological areas. This paper provides a detailed methodology for the application of UAVs using a commercial high resolution camera and details postprocessing techniques applied to generate an accurate ortho-photo and DTM to be used to survey the archaeological site and its landscape. A total of 331 images generated from a UAV survey of a portion of the site of Kourion in Cyprus are used to illustrate methods of site documentation and archaeological survey for large archaeological and cultural heritage sites.

Cultural heritage (CH) sites are threatened from a variety of natural and anthropogenic factors. Innovative and cost effective tools for systematic monitoring of landscapes and CH sites are needed to protect them. Towards this direction, the article presents a multidisciplinary approach, based on remote sensing techniques and Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis, in order to assess the overall risk in the Paphos district (Cyprus). Paphos region has a great deal of archaeological sites and isolated monuments, which reflect the long history of the area, while some of them are also listed in the UNESCO catalogue of World Cultural Heritage sites. Several natural and anthropogenic hazards have been mapped using different remote sensing data and methodologies. All data were gathered from satellite images and satellite products. The results from each hazard were imported into a GIS environment in order to examine the overall risk assessment based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology. The results found that the methodology applied was effective enough in the understanding of the current conservation circumstances of the monuments in relation to their environment as well as predicting the future development of the present hazards.

Kataliondas Kourvellos is located at the base of an unusual rock knob, in the lower Troodos foothills, about 20 kilometers south of Nicosia. Recent excavations by the University of Geneva revealed that the site was occupied both in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, at the end of the 8th millennium BCE, and in the Cypro-Classical period, in the 4th century BCE.During the Cypro-Classical period, the site seems to have functioned as a rural sanctuary, but the purpose of its location there is not clear: among other explanations, one could be its link with the mining, smelting, and/or trade of metal resources (the lower Troodos foothills have been exploited since the Bronze Age for their copper and other mineralogical resources).

Examining natural hazards responsible for cultural heritage damages all over Europe, especially over large or remote areas is extremely difficult, expensive and time consuming. There is a need identify and respond to natural hazards before they create irreparable damage to cultural heritage sites. The PROTHEGO project uses radar interferometry to monitor surface deformation with mm precision to analyze the impact of geo-hazards in cultural heritage sites in Europe. The project applies novel InSAR techniques to monitor monuments and sites that are potentially unstable due to landslides, sinkholes, settlement, subsidence, active tectonics as well as structural deformation, all of which could be affected of climate change and human interaction. To magnify the impact of the project, the approach will be implemented in more than 400 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) in geographical Europe. After the remote sensing investigation, detailed geological interpretation, hazard analysis, local-scale monitoring, advanced modelling and field surveying for the most critical sites will be carried out to discover the cause and extent of the observed motions. PROTHEGO (PROTection of European Cultural HEritage from GeO-hazards) is a collaborative research project funded in the framework of the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPICH) – Heritage Plus in 2015–2018.

The landscape of Cyprus is characterized by transformations that occurred during the 20th century, with many of such changes being still active today. Landscapes’ changes are due to a variety of reasons including war conflicts, environmental conditions and modern development that have often caused the alteration or even the total loss of important information that could have assisted the archaeologists to comprehend the archaeo-landscape. The present work aims to provide detailed information regarding the different existing datasets that can be used to support archaeologists in understanding the transformations that the landscape in Cyprus undergone, from a remote sensing perspective. Such datasets may help archaeologists to visualize a lost landscape and try to retrieve valuable information, while they support researchers for future investigations. As such they can further highlight in a predictive manner and consequently assess the impacts of landscape transformation -being of natural or anthropogenic cause- to cultural heritage. Three main datasets are presented here: aerial images, satellite datasets including spy satellite datasets acquired during the Cold War, and cadastral maps. The variety of data is provided in a chronological order (e.g. year of acquisitions), while other important parameters such as the cost and the accuracy are also determined. Individual examples of archaeological sites in Cyprus are also provided for each dataset in order to underline both their importance and performance. Also some pre- and post-processing remote sensing methodologies are briefly described in order to enhance the final results. The paper within the framework of ATHENA project, dedicated to remote sensing archaeology/CH, aims to fill a significant gap in the recent literature of remote sensing archaeology of the island and to assist current and future archaeologists in their quest for remote sensing information to support their research.

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, Volume 10005, 2016, Article number 1000516 © 2016 SPIE. This paper examines how radar and optical imagery combined can be employed for the study of land degradation. A case study was conducted in the Randi Forest, Cyprus, a known overgrazed area for the past 70 years. Satellite optical imagery was used for the calculation of the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the time period between December 2015 to July 2016 and C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery was used to derive correlative changes in backscatter intensity (σ0). The results are indicative of the overgrazing in the area with the temporal and spatial variations of grazing defined. Both the NDVI and the σ0 values demonstrate sudden shifts in vegetation cover following the start of the grazing period with the greatest shifts being evident in close proximity to the location of farms. NDVI and backscatter coefficient correlation was measured at 0.7 and 0.8 for the months of February and April respectively. Shifts in NDVI value by 0.1 correspond to a shift in σ0 by 4 db. VH cross-polarization showed greater sensitivity to changes in vegetation than VV. The paper also examines the capability of C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar to measure changes in plant structure and vegetation fraction as the result of grazing. Depending on grazing intensity, backscatter coefficient varies according to vegetation density.

Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.This paper focuses on the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over the study area of Pissouri in Cyprus to document the sloping landscapes of the area. The study area has been affected by overgrazing, which has led to shifts in the vegetation patterns and changing microtopography of the soil. The UAV images were used to generate digital elevation models (DEMs) to examine the changes in microtopography. Next to that orthophotos were used to detect changes in vegetation patterns. The combined data of the digital elevation models and the orthophotos will be used to detect the occurrence of catastrophic shifts and mechanisms for desertification in the study area due to overgrazing. This study is part of the CASCADE-Catastrophic shifts in dryland project.

The Project focuses on the resolution of decreased water supply as a result of continued water shortage. The water loss is the result of several causes, notably water losses in the water supply network pipes, the ineffective operation of pumping stations and design of the networks are some of the most important problems which need to be addressed to optimize the performance of the water networks and save both water and the energy consumed. The Project is innovative as it is the first time that several, state-of-the-art technologies, including Global Positioning System (GPS), Radar Scanners and Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) will be combined to map the water networks. The data produced will be entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS), with the objective of developing a digital imprint and mapping of the network. Following, a representative section of the network will be selected and modeled in the new upgraded laboratory in order to conduct detailed experimental studies, which will be correlated with computational/mathematical studies. The main scientific challenge of the Project, which also characterizes its broader innovative aspect, lies in the possibility to optimize the design and also the operation of all the components of the network, through the combined use of hydraulic simulation models and multi-criteria evolution algorithms. © 2014 SPIE.

This paper provides the results obtained by using satellite imagery and UAV data for managing a degraded system over Randi Forest in Cyprus. Landsat TM/ETM+ and GeoEye images have been used to retrieve several indices with the main aim to managing the overgrazed area. Aerial photographs were acquired in order to document and monitor the overgrazed areas, which also include seasonal changes in vegetation and soil. UAVs were used to create ortho-photos and DEMS. Satellite images were used to conduct NDVIs of the study area. The resulting findings provide a detailed image of the specific location of overgrazed areas. The results of the study can be used for decision makers to establish effective strategies to avoid similar scenarios of overgrazing in other parts of Cyprus.This study was funded by the FP7 programme CASCADE Project on sudden and catastrophic shifts in dryland Mediterranean ecosystems (2012-2017).

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a cost-effective technique for archaeologists that can be used to survey large archaeological areas in relation to traditional methods. Since UAVs are capable of surveying archaeological areas from above, datasets derived on this platform can be used to generate accurate orthophotos, digital terrain models (DTMs) and can generate a variety of datasets that can be used to document and identify archaeological areas. In addition, various sensors can be added to the UAV platform including multi-spectral, infrared and thermal cameras. This paper provides a detailed presentation of the application of UAVs using a commercial high resolution camera and details post-processing techniques applied to generate an accurate orthophoto and DTM to be used to survey the archaeological site and its landscape. A total of 331 images generated from a UAV survey of a portion of the site of Curium in Cyprus are used to illustrate methods of site documentation and archaeological survey to identify buried remains.

Vegetation indices have been widely used for the detection of archaeological traces, based on crop marks, during different phenological stages. Such indices can be used in order to enhance interpretation performance of multispectral and hyperspectral satellite data, for identification of buried archeological remains. Although a variety of indices exists in the literature, research is still limited and only a small group of these indices have been explored. This paper aims to highlight the prospects as well the limitations of several broadband vegetation indices for the detection of Neolithic tells in the Thessalian plain (Greece). Several multispectral Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite images have been used for evaluating the effectiveness of such indices. In addition, new developed algorithms and hyperspectral narrowband indices, specially designed for archaeological research, have been also used and compared using hyperspectral satellite data (EO-Hyperion). Indeed, the Normalized Archaeological Vegetation Index (NAVI) as well as a linear transformation of the Landsat 5 TM were applied to satellite data. The above were also compared to other processing algorithms such as Tasseled - Cap algorithm and Principal Component Analysis. The results have shown that several indices and new algorithms may be used for the enhancement of crop marks, while some no-widely used indices can be successfully used for archaeological purposes. © 2013 SPIE.

This is a technical paper, in the context of CASCADE project, describing an overgrazed area in Cyprus and how remote sensing techniques can assist the procedure for detecting land degradation sourcing from animal overgrazing. Remote sensing is a tool recently introduced to such studies but indeed very useful and vital. Using satellite images it is possible to retrieve consecutive vegetation indices which can identify if there is any further land-vegetation degradation in a specific area of interest. This is crucial in the procedure for monitoring semi or highly overgrazed areas since this change detection can inform policy makers regarding the status of an area, in terms of degradation. In this paper remotely sensed data is analyzed to detect, in specific areas which are known as overgrazed, to detect if there is a change using three main vegetation indices, namely WDVI, NDVI and SAVI. Change detection techniques are applied on these three vegetation indices maps in order to detect any further areas overgrazing.

Η συγκεκριμένη εργασία εστιάζει στη χρήση σύγχρονων τεχνολογιών όπως είναι η Δορυφορική Τηλεπισκόπηση και τα Γεωγραφικά Συστήματα Πληροφοριών για τη δημιουργία ενός ολοκληρωμένου συστήματος εκτίμησης επικινδυνότητας αρχαιολογικών θέσεων και κατάλοιπων στη Κύπρο και συγκεκριμένα στην επαρχία Πάφου. Τέτοιου είδους αναλύσεις οι οποίες περιλαμβάνουν συλλογή δεδομένων, συνεχείς παρατηρήσεις και πολυπαραμετρικές αναλύσεις εκτίμησης κινδύνου είναι δύσκολο να πραγματοποιηθούν με τις παραδοσιακές τεχνικές και μεθόδους, οι οποίες κοστίζουν και είναι χρονοβόρες. Οι σύγχρονες τεχνολογίες δίνουν τη δυνατότητα στους επιστήμονες για την συνολική επόπτευση της περιοχής μελέτης καθώς επίσης και το μοναδικό πλεονέκτημα της ταυτόχρονης αποθήκευσης κα διαχείρισης μεγάλου όγκου χωρικών και περιγραφικών δεδομένων που σχετίζονται με την διαχείριση και προστασία της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς. Αυτό το στόχο εξυπηρετεί και η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη που φιλοδοξεί να αναδείξει τις δυνατότητες που προσφέρει η χρήση δεδομένων δορυφορικής Τηλεπισκόπησης και ΓΣΠ για την προστασία της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς της ευρύτερης περιοχής της επαρχίας Πάφου στη Κύπρο από ανθρωπογενείς και φυσικούς κινδύνους., The study focuses on the creation of an innovative methodology for the development of a risk assessment model for the archaeological sites of western Cyprus (Paphos district). On site observation is the most common way for monitoring cultural heritage sites and monuments in Cyprus. However, this procedure which includes data collection, periodical observations, and multivariate risk assessment analysis, is practically difficult to be accomplished with the traditional practices and methods since it is time consuming and cost insufficient. Thus, the use of modern technologies such as Remote Sensing and GIS is anticipated to provide a tool of directives for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage sites from anthropogenic and environmental threats. These technologies provide to scientists integrated monitoring capabilities and have the unique advantage to store and manipulate a large amount of spatial and attribute data simultaneously. This study aims to integrate both satellite remote sensing techniques and GIS in a multidisciplinary approach, for monitoring natural and anthropogenic hazards with the use of archived and up-to-dated multi-temporal remotely sensed images in the study area, namely in areas nearby cultural heritage sites and monuments in Paphos area (Cyprus).According to the results, extensive construction and building development has taken placein the broader area. It was also proved that vast number of sites is established on areas prone to erosion and landslide phenomena.

Although cultural heritage sites are documented and preserved, to date there has been limited monitoring and documentation of how cultural heritage sites are affected by air pollution. This paper aims to introduce a new approach for monitoring air pollution for areas near cultural heritage sites by using satellite remotely sensed data. This approach provides a cost-effective tool for local authorities and government agencies to identify the most polluted cultural heritage sites and make decisions regarding the conservation of these sites. Archived data may be used in order to study long term the impact of air pollution to cultural heritage sites. The study area includes significant open air monuments of Cyprus located in the four main cities of the island. In this paper the Limassol Castle is used as a focused case study. Three years of MODIS satellite data was evaluated and analyzed in order to categorize high risk long-term areas. Ground measurements using sun-photometers, spectro-radiometers and particulate matter (PM10) laser photometer were also utilized in the study. The darkest pixel atmospheric correction in conjunction with the use of the radiative transfer equation was applied to retrieve the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from Landsat TM/ETM+ satellite images in order also to cross-validate the AOT values found from MODIS and sun-photometers. The results of the study indicate that air pollution is high in all the major cities in Cyprus near cultural heritage sites. The results also found that the Limassol castle was most affected by air pollution, while the other cultural heritage sites exhibited similar results.

Cultural Heritage Sites are in danger of being destroyed due to several factors, such as earthquakes, uncontrolled urbanization and air pollution. The latest, whether it is from industrial, transport or domestic sources, can cause significant degradation and corrosion of cultural monuments. The use of satellite images for monitoring air pollution in different areas has received considerable attention and several related techniques have already been developed. In this study, such techniques are extended to examine air pollution monitoring in areas located in the vicinity of cultural heritage sites in Cyprus. Sun-photometers and Lidar have been used to support the results. The authors incorporate also 3D documentation using a laser scanner for monitoring changes over time. The available technologies and methodologies for digital recording of heritage sites and objects are really promising and the whole heritage community is trying to adopt these approaches for quick, effective, detailed and straightforward 3D reproduction.

Archaeological remains can be detected using crop marks, during different periods of crop cycle. Vegetation indices and spectral signatures can be used in order to examine and evaluate such crop marks. This paper presents the methodology applied for detecting crop marks over an archaeological site of Cyprus using Landsat TM/ETM+ satellite images. Moreover the GER1500 spectro-radiometer was used to retrieve in-situ spectral signatures over the area of interest (Kouklia Village in Paphos Cyprus). The results found are characterizing very promising since crop marks were identified as spectral anomalies. This paper aims to record the phenological cycle of barley crops, over agricultural fields in which archaeological areas existed and areas where only healthy agricultural fields are presented. NDVI values from the available satellite images (Landsat TM and Landsat ETM+) are used to plot the life cycle of barley crops. For the area in which archeological crop marks were found, the NDVI plot is significantly differs from one non-stressed crop. Such area covered by barley crop has been recently excavated (summer 2010) and the excavations have verified some linear buried archaeological remains -probably houses- just 30cm below ground surface.

The authors also would like to acknowledge the “CUT Open Access Author Fund” for covering the open access publication fees of the paper. The smart city notion provides an integrated and systematic answer to challenges facing cities today. Smart city policy makers and technology vendors are increasingly stating their interest in human-centered smart cities. On the other hand, in many studies smart city policies bring forward a one-size-fits-all type of recommendation for all areas in question instead of location-specific ones. Based on the above considerations, this paper illustrates that smart citizen characteristics, alongside local urban challenges, are paving the way towards more e ective e orts in smart city policy decision making. Our main presumption is that the development level of human-centered indicators of smart cities varies locally. The scientific objective of this paper is to find a simple, understandable link between human smart characteristics and local determinants in Limassol city, Cyprus. The data set consists of seven indicators defined as human smart characteristics and seven which determine local urban challenges consisting of demographic dynamics and built infrastructure attributes based on housing. Correlations of the 14 above indicators are examined in entirety and separately, as the study area was divided into three spatial sub-groups (high, moderate, and low coverage areas) depending on dispersed urbanization, as the main challenge of the study area. The data were obtained mainly from the most recent population census in 2011 and categorized in sub-groups by triggering CLC 2012. Analyzing the statistics using principal component analysis (PCA), we identify significant relationships between human smart city characteristics, demographic dynamics and built infrastructure attributes which can be used in local policy decision making. Spatial variations based on the dispersed urbanization are also observed regarding the above-mentioned relationships.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of complex developmental conditions whose effects and severity show high intraindividual variability. However, one of the main symptoms shared along the spectrum is social interaction impairments that can be explored through acoustic analysis of speech production. In this paper, we compare 14 Italian-speaking children with ASD and 14 typically developing peers. Accordingly, we extracted and selected the acoustic features related to prosody, quality of voice, loudness, and spectral distribution using the parameter set eGeMAPS provided by the openSMILE feature extraction toolkit. We implemented four supervised machine learning methods to evaluate the extraction performances. Our findings show that Decision Trees (DTs) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are the best-performing methods. The overall DT models reach a 100% recall on all the trials, meaning they correctly recognise autistic features. However, half of its models overfit, while SVMs are more consistent. One of the results of the work is the creation of a speech pipeline to extract Italian speech biomarkers typical of ASD by comparing our results with studies based on other languages. A better understanding of this topic can support clinicians in diagnosing the disorder.