Strategic positioning of the ‘ERATOSTHENES Research Centre’ and exploration of new R&D opportunities in the fields of Earth Surveillance and Space-Based of the Environment

The aim of this paper is to present our strategy and vision to upgrade the existing ERATOSTHENES Research Centre (ERC), established within Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR), which will provide the highest quality of related services both on the National, European and International levels. The ‘EXCELSIOR’ project is a Horizon 2020 Teaming project, addressing the reduction of substantial disparities in the European Union by supporting research and innovation activities and systems in low performing countries. It also aims at establishing long-term and strategic partnerships between the Teaming partners, thus reducing internal research and innovation disparities within European Research and Innovation landscape. The ERCis already an established player in the local community and has excellent active collaboration with actors from various sectors in (a) the government, (b) industry, (c) local organisations, and (d) society. In order to further engage users and citizens and to become more attractive to international research and education community, the Centre aims to be fully involved in strategic positioning on the national level, but also in Europe, the Middle East region and internationally. Some examples of how space technologies are integrated with other tools or techniques such as UAV, field spectroscopy, micro-sensors, EO space/in-situ sensors etc. for the systematic monitoring of the environment is shown. Indeed such examples fulfills the objectives of the COPERNICUS academy network (in which ERC is a member) for empowering the next generation of researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs with suitable skill sets to use Copernicus data and information services to their full potential. Finally, opportunities for future collaboration and investments with the ERC in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are stated. Five partners have united to upgrade the existing ERC into a CoE, with the common vision to become a world-class innovation, research and education centre, actively contributing to the European Research Area (ERA). More specifically, the Teaming project is a team effort between the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT, acting as the coordinator), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), the German Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Cyprus’ Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (DEC-MTCW)

Three-fluid system short-wave instability and gap-solitons

The short-wave instability arising due to the resonace between two wave modes for a three-fluid system of a stratified and sheer flow is addressed. A weakly nonlinear analysis leads to a class of solitary waves, widely known as gap-solitons in other physical contexts. The essential ingredients are the existence of a spectral gap between two branches of the dispersion relation, and the development of a set of envelope equations to describe weakly nonlinear waves, whose carrier frequency and wavenumber belong to the centre of this gap. For the special case where the gap-soliton is a steady travelling wave of the full fluid system, we show that there is large class of such gap-solitons

The use of GIS for supporting the experimental representation of the selected supply network in the Pafos municipality: The HydroGIS Lab

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