CyCLOPS is the only Tier-1 permanent GNSS station network in Cyprus and it is currently comprised of GNSS CORS, co-located with precise weather stations, tilt meters and calibration-grade InSAR corner reflectors. The main objective of this strategic research infrastructure unit was to precisely monitor geohazards in Cyprus and the broader EMMENA region and to render Cyprus a dedicated SAR calibration and validation site. To date, CyCLOPS has successfully estimated very precise positions and velocities of national CORS stations, highlighted the geodynamic regime of the area, and monitored very dynamic landslides occurring throughout the island. CyCLOPS+ is the expansion phase, which will form the Cyprus Ground Motion Service (CyGMS), a continuously updated national velocity model, aiming to deliver precise and reliable ground displacement metrics, and densify the European Ground Motion System, thereby improving the country's resilience to seismic and geological threats.

Over a decade, Pissouri village has suffering from an active and fast-moving landslide causing severe damages in many properties and the broader landscape. This study presents an investigation to estimate the absolute velocity of the landslide using integrated satellite-based techniques, utilizing the only strategic infrastructure unit for monitoring geohazards in Cyprus, named CyCLOPS. A dataset of 37 Sentinel-1 acquisitions in ascending mode, covering an interval time from July 2021 to November 2023 were processed in GAMMA software. The GNSS monitoring of Pissouri was performed using the cutting-edge equipment of CyCLOPS, showing significant local displacements. In cases of an active and fast-moving landslide, the integration of both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data is essential to monitor, estimate and understand the absolute velocity of the landslide.

This paper explores how the Eratosthenes CoE that has been established in Cyprus through the EXCELSIOR H2020 Teaming project can be a hub for Earth Observation activities in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa (EMMENA) region. Due to its geographical proximity, EXCELSIOR can become a hub for partners in Middle Eastern and Northern African countries. Cyprus' unique geostrategic position can support Earth Observation from satellite programmes in three continents and provide valuable services in the processes of satellite calibration and validation. Finally, the distinct needs and opportunities that motivate the establishment of an Earth Observation Centre of Excellence in Cyprus are presented in this paper.

The Cyprus Continuously Operating Natural Hazards Monitoring and Prevention System (CyCLOPS) is a national, strategic research infrastructure focusing on geohazard monitoring in Cyprus, and EMMENA region. CyCLOPS comprises six permanent sites, each equipped with a Tier-1 GNSS reference station and two calibration-grade corner reflectors (CRs), oriented to the ascending and descending tracks of ESA's Sentinel-1 satellite mission. As of June 2021, CyCLOPS has reached full operational capacity and plays a crucial role in monitoring the geodynamic regime and tracking landslides in Cyprus. Furthermore, it supports the radiometric calibration and geometric validation of C- and X- band SAR imagery. This paper presents initial validation results from analyzing Sentinel-1 products using CyCLOPS CRs, showing consistent performance with a high-quality CR network. Radiometric parameters remained constant, and geolocation measurements were precise in range and azimuth. These results, based on two years of operational data, enhance understanding of SAR product quality and CyCLOPS infrastructure's effectiveness.

This study examines the long-term dynamics of the Paphos forest in Cyprus using Landsat satellite data for Vegetation Indices (VIs), MODIS data for evapotranspiration, and CHIRPS data for precipitation from 1991 to 2022. Sen's slope method was applied to analyse the trends in the data, revealing statistically significant positive trends in the vegetation indices despite the nearly constant precipitation, indicating increased forest vegetation over the past 30 years. Scatterplots were created mainly to examine correlations within the VIs and precipitation data but with low R-squared values ranging between 0.15-0.44. The study outcomes highlight a complex relationship with evapotranspiration and a weak correlation between precipitation and vegetation indices. These findings could be essential in understanding how forests work, especially in a semi-arid environment like Cyprus.

This study focused on burned area mapping and burn severity estimation for the Arakapas fire event in Cyprus. For the purpose of the study Sentinel-2 images, before and after the fire event were used for the development of the dNBR and the RdNBR spectral indices, which are the most common spectral indices for assessing the burn severity and burned area estimation. For the validation of the fire severity map, field data were collected for the CBI and GeoCBI index calculation. The fire severity maps were compared with the field measurements of the CBI and GeoCBI. Based on Pearson Correlation the RdNBR map has a very high correlation with GeoCBI (PC=83%) and high correlation with CBI (PC=71%) in contrast with the dNBR spectral index which has a moderate correlation (PC=59% and PC=54%) with CBI and GeoCBI respectively. Based on these results the RdNBR spectral index is better for the burned severity mapping.

An integrated positioning solution termed ‘collaborative positioning’ employs multiple location sensors with different accuracy on different platforms for sharing of their absolute and relative localizations. Typical application scenarios are dismounted soldiers, swarms of UAV's, team of robots, emergency crews and first responders. The stakeholders of the solution (i.e., mobile sensors, users, fixed stations and external databases) are involved in an iterative algorithm to estimate or improve the accuracy of each node's position based on statistical models. This paper studies the challenges to realize a public and low-cost solution, based on mass users of multiple-sensor platforms. For the investigation field experiments revolved around the concept of collaborative navigation, and partially indoor navigation. For this purpose different sensor platforms have been fitted with similar type of sensors, such as geodetic and low-cost high-sensitivity GNSS receivers, tactical grade IMU's, MEMS-based IMU's, miscellaneous sensors, including magnetometers, barometric pressure and step sensors, as well as image sensors, such as digital cameras and Flash LiDAR, and ultra-wide band (UWB) receivers. The employed platforms in the tests include a train on a building roof, mobile mapping vans, a personal navigator and a foot tracker unit. In terms of the tests, the data from the different platforms are recorded simultaneously. Several field experiments conducted in a week at the University of Nottingham are described and investigated in the paper. The personal navigator and a foot tracker unit moved on the building roof, then trough the building down to where it logged data simultaneously with the vans, all of them moving together and relative to each other. The platforms then logged data simultaneously covering various accelerations, dynamics, etc. over longer trajectories. Promising preliminary results of the field experiments showed that a positioning accuracy on the few meter level can be achieved for the navigation of the different platforms.