Home » We’re Growing: The Next Chapter for CyCLOPS and the Launch of the Cyprus Ground Motion Service!
We’re Growing: The Next Chapter for CyCLOPS and the Launch of the Cyprus Ground Motion Service!
We’re beyond excited to share some fantastic news from our home at the CUT Laboratory of Geodesy, alongside our friends at the German Aerospace Agency (DLR), ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence and Geografica Ltd. We’ve just embarked on a challenging journey, fueled by a significant grant of 700,000 EUR secured from the Research and Innovation Foundation. This journey is about extending the CyCLOPS Strategic Research Unit and bringing to life the Cyprus Ground Motion Service (CyGMS).
Elevating CyCLOPS to New Heights
The CyCLOPS strategic research infrastructure has been pivotal in studying solid earth processes and geohazards in Cyprus. As the island’s only Tier-1/2 permanent GNSS reference station network, co-located with very precise weather stations, tiltmeters, and calibration-grade SAR corner reflectors, CyCLOPS has played a critical role in estimating precise coordinates and velocities for CYPOS’s reference stations and monitoring dynamic landslides. Moreover, its GNSS atmospheric service has been indispensable in disseminating crucial tropospheric and ionospheric information to authorized users.
The Next Step: Cyprus Ground Motion Service
Despite our former success, the need for a more comprehensive national ground motion service is more than evident. This is where the Cyprus Ground Motion Service comes into play. Our objective is twofold:
- Densification of the Existing CyCLOPS Infrastructure: We aim to augment the current infrastructure with additional autonomous Tier-1/2 GNSS co-located multi-sensor configurations and corner reflectors. This will also involve enhancing our IT infrastructure to support these upgrades.
- Development of the CyGMS: In collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), two research organizations, and an SME, we will develop the CyGMS. This service will estimate precise and reliable displacements and velocities within Cyprus’s natural and artificial ground motion environments.
CyGMS is set to revolutionize ground motion monitoring on the island. Until now, the only source of ground motion information in Cyprus has been the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS), which has yet to be validated and calibrated for our unique geodetic and geophysical context. CyGMS will not only fill this gap but also modernize our national geodetic infrastructure, assisting stakeholders in the timely determination of geohazards-prone areas—crucial for safeguarding national safety and economy.
Why This Matters
This project is more than just science; it’s about protecting what matters most to us. Whether it’s ensuring the safety of our historic sites or keeping an eye on landslide-prone areas, we’re on it. We’re not just monitoring; we’re caring, protecting, and preserving.
Looking Ahead
This project represents a significant leap forward in our understanding and monitoring of geohazards in Cyprus. By making CyGMS openly accessible and disseminating it via a specially designed platform using state-of-the-art ICT technologies, we aim to set a new standard for ground motion services globally.
Stay tuned for further updates as we embark on this exciting journey to enhance geodesy and ground motion monitoring in Cyprus. Your continued support and interest in our work inspire us to push the boundaries of what is possible. Here’s to a future where we’re all a bit safer, thanks to the power of community, science, and, of course, a bit of tech magic. We can’t wait to take you on this journey with us. Let’s make a difference together!
CyCLOPS main website: cyclops.cy