GET participates at the implementation of new research projects under the framework “RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE” of the Operational Programme “Competitiveness Entrepreneurship Innovation” (EPAnEK 2014-2020), Partnership Agreement 2014-2020.
The projects, which are co-financed by the European Union and the European Regional Development Fund, are:
- Adapt2CC: Research on the development of an urban areas vulnerability index in climate change and the creation of a multi-criteria system for assessing the efficiency of climate change adaptation measures
- YANTAS: Prototype system for assessing and mapping vulnerability and disaster risk due to severe weather in Greece
- FARMADSS: Development of an innovative cotton production support system using satellite remote sensing, IoT sensors and advanced agricultural models
The aim and the scope of the above projects are summarized below.
1. Research on the development of an urban areas vulnerability index in climate change and the creation of a multi-criteria system for assessing the efficiency of climate change adaptation measures (Adapt2CC)
Priority Area: Environment and sustainable development
Partnership: Geospatial Enabling Technologies, Department of Environmental Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Institute for Environmental and Sustainable Development Research / National Observatory of Athens
The relationship between cities and climate change is multiple as the way a city develops affects heat flows, evaporation rate, urbanization characteristics, spatial distribution and intensity of anthropogenic heat sources and other factors which cumulatively deteriorate the thermal environment and intensify the rise in air temperature due to climate change. At the same time, the increase in the intensity and frequency of heatwaves and the deterioration of the thermal comfort in an urban area has a severe impact on the health of citizens, while also leads to increased cooling energy consumption, especially for buildings with low energy efficiency.
Based on the above, it is necessary to estimate the vulnerability of urban areas to climate change particularly regarding the deterioration of the thermal environment.
The scope of the project is to organize the urban area in urban climate zones, to develop a Climate Change Thermal Vulnerability Index and to estimate the vulnerability per urban climate zone in order to assess the effectiveness of the climate change adaptation measures. The platform produced will allow for the first time in Greece to study climate change and its effects in a systematic and efficient way, with an emphasis on the thermal environment, especially in the urban areas where the largest population is concentrated.
2. Prototype system for assessing and mapping vulnerability and disaster risk due to severe weather in Greece (ΥΑΝΤΑΣ)
Priority Area: Environment and sustainable development
Partnership: INTERAMERICAN, Geospatial Enabling Technologies
The proposed project aims to meet a significant need of the Greek insurance market, which is related to the lack of data concerning the local-scale risk and vulnerability of geographical zones to catastrophic weather phenomena and riskiness of these phenomena. For this purpose, a prototype system for estimating and mapping vulnerability and destructive risk due to severe weather events at very high spatial resolution (Postal Code level) will be developed (YANTAS system) for the first time in Greece. The information provided by the system will be based on the severe weather phenomena intensity and frequency of occurrence, combined with the resulting economic losses, and in relation to demographic and socio-economic parameters (population, urbanization, wealth, etc.).
The development of YANTAS system comprises of the following steps:
- Development of a database consisting of meteorological, economic, demographic, environmental and social data for weather events that caused damages during the period 2001-2019.
- Data processing for the
- computation of the vulnerability to weather risk and
- the assessment of weather risk at each geographical zone.
- Mapping of the local vulnerability and risk indices.
The results of YANTAS system will be exploited by the INTERAMERICAN insurance company in order to:
- Carry out an analysis of the company’s exposure to financial risks related to the spatial distribution of weather hazards in Greece.
- Establish appropriate vulnerability and risk indicators, aiming to elaborate a new pricing policy on insurance premiums and compensations for weather disasters.
At the same time, the dissemination and distribution of the YANTAS system data through the online platform that will be developed within the project is expected to lead to increased information and public awareness concerning the riskiness of weather phenomena and the vulnerability of specific regions. Furthermore, the dissemination of research results to the scientific community is expected to significantly contribute to the study of natural disasters in Greece and to support further research in the field of designing civil protection measures.
3. Development of an innovative cotton production support system using satellite remote sensing, IoT sensors and advanced agricultural models (FARMADSS)
Priority Area: Agrofood
Partnership: FARMACON, Geospatial Enabling Technologies
The agricultural sector, under the pressure of both free competition and limited production factors, must increase the competitiveness of its products, while at the same time making the best use of the available inputs. In the context of internationalization of trade and commerce, farm decision-making at farm level and regional level are mainly dependent on a wealth of information and data (such as research results, market structure information, etc.). Therefore, the acquisition of information-data in agriculture is closely related to making several decisions, as they are necessary tools to achieve a result.
One of the most important crops in our country is cotton: Greece is the largest cotton producing country in the EU, accounting for more than 80% of all European production. Cotton is a crop of great economic importance for the Greek agricultural sector and reckons for more than 8% of total farm production. Thessaly, Macedonia, and Thrace are cotton, growing regions.
This proposal addresses the two most significant, time-consuming, and costly problems in cotton production are pest control of Helicoverpa armigera (green worm) and irrigation. Both issues require integrated management in the context of environmental protection and the economics of farming. In this context, crops need timely and targeted spraying, especially when it comes to plant-protection products for green worms. Equally important is the application of reasonable irrigation not only to save water resources and to avoid contamination of the recipients but also to achieve the ideal balance between production and vegetation development. Thus, increasing production, improving the efficiency of fertilization, improving product quality, and ultimately reducing production costs. The main goal of the FarmaDSS project is to develop a modern Decision Support System (DSS). It takes the form of a cloud application that is a valuable advisory tool for the agronomist and the farmer. The app combines the use of innovative data retrieval tools from IoT sensors, data, and remote sensing applications, and predictive entomological models, coupled with the use of electronic pheromone traps to monitor insect populations. The main goal is to make decisions directly on the management of cotton cultivation using a quick response and high precision tool that is easy to use by both experts and producers.