For the first time, Cyprus is able to systematically monitor ground movements throughout its territory, thereby strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to landslides, subsidence, and other geohazards that can affect citizens and critical infrastructure.

The new Cyprus Ground Movement Service (CyGMS), developed under the coordination of the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), transforms scientific knowledge and satellite technology into a permanent tool to support the government and society.

The service provides continuously updated products on ground displacement and velocity, utilizing satellite and ground-based observations for the early detection and monitoring of landslides, subsidence, structural deformations, and other geohazards. Its products support evidence-based decision-making by government agencies, critical infrastructure managers, public utility organizations, private entities, researchers, and professionals.

The service is available through the web portal cygms.cut.ac.cy, providing access to ground motion products for the entire territory of Cyprus.

“The CyGMS service is tangible proof that long-term investment in scientific infrastructure can be transformed into high-value-added services for the state and society,” said Associate Professor Christodoulos Danezis, Coordinator of the Cyprus Geohazards Observatory (CyGOS) and Director of the Geodesy Laboratory at the Cyprus University of Technology.

“For the first time, Cyprus has a reliable and scientifically substantiated picture of ground movements on a national scale. This information lays the groundwork for more effective protection of citizens, better monitoring of critical infrastructure, and evidence-based decision-making in the planning and management of geohazards.”

What CyGMS Offers

CyGMS processes continuous observations from the national network of GPS/GNSS stations and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data (SAR) into high-precision ground displacement products. These products are available at three processing levels, fully aligned with the standards of the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS): basic ground motion and velocity products in the direction of the satellite observation, calibrated products through the integration of the national GPS/GNSS velocity field, and orthonormal products that represent displacements in the vertical and east–west directions.

CyGMS operates in a complementary manner to the European Ground Movement Service (EGMS), leveraging the national strategic CyCLOPS infrastructure that has already been developed in Cyprus. Essentially, while the EGMS relies on a limited number of GPS/GNSS stations to calibrate satellite measurements across Cyprus, CyGMS leverages CyCLOPS’s dense network of GPS/GNSS stations, offering higher spatial resolution and accuracy at the national level. At the same time, it combines two complementary InSAR processing techniques (Persistent Scatterer Interferometry and Small Baseline Subset), broadening the range of phenomena that can be monitored, including active landslides and other rapidly evolving movements, which are not covered by the EGMS operational design.

Who Benefits and How

CyGMS is intended for a wide range of users in the public and private sectors. Government agencies, Civil Defense, civil protection services, and local authorities can utilize its products to monitor geohazards, support spatial planning, assess natural hazards, and manage emergency situations.

Critical infrastructure operators and public utility organizations gain access to reliable deformation data to assess the condition and resilience of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, dams, transportation networks, and other engineering structures.

At the same time, the research and academic community gains access to an open, calibrated, nationwide dataset covering the entire spectrum of ground movements in Cyprus, from slow tectonic movements to active landslides, such as the one at Pissouri, which is systematically monitored by the Cyprus University of Technology in collaboration with the Geological Survey Department.

From Research Infrastructure to Operational Service

CyGMS was developed as part of the CyCLOPS+ research project, which was funded by the Research and Innovation Foundation (IDEK) with co-funding from the European Union. The service was implemented by a consortium coordinated by the Cyprus University of Technology, with partners including the ERATOSTHENES Center of Excellence, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Geografica Ltd, combining expertise in the fields of geodesy, satellite remote sensing, geoinformatics, and the development of operational geospatial services.

Today, it is evolving into a permanent operational service of the Cyprus Geohazard Observatory (CyGOS), the internationally recognized Cypriot geohazard observatory and Permanent Supersite of the international GEO-GSNL network. Its operation is based on the national strategic infrastructure CyCLOPS, which is developed and managed by the Geodesy Laboratory of the Cyprus University of Technology.

The transition from a research project to a permanent operational service is a prime example of how public investment in research and innovation can be transformed into sustainable infrastructure and high-value-added services for the country. CyGMS is the first operational service of the Cyprus Geohazards Observatory (CyGOS), marking the start of the gradual development of a comprehensive national ecosystem of services for monitoring, assessing, and managing geohazards in Cyprus.

About CyGOS

CyGOS (Cyprus Geohazard Observatory Supersite) is Cyprus’s national geohazard observatory and is recognized as a Permanent Supersite of the international GEO-GSNL network. It is coordinated by the Geodesy Laboratory of the Cyprus University of Technology and is being developed as the national infrastructure for integrated geohazard monitoring, utilizing satellite and ground-based Earth observation technologies to monitor earthquakes, landslides, ground movements, coastal changes, and other natural hazards. Within the framework of CyGOS, operational services are being gradually developed that transform Earth observation data into operational geospatial information to support the government, critical infrastructure operators, the scientific community, and society.

For more information, photos, and data access: cyclops.cy | cygms.cut.ac.cy · Media Contact: Assoc. Prof. Christodoulos Danezis, Coordinator of the Cyprus Geohazards Observatory (CyGOS), Geodesy Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering & Geoinformatics Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology [email protected] · +357-2500-2352

Funding Acknowledgment:

The CyCLOPS+ project (Cyprus Ground Motion Service, SMALL SCALE INFRASTRUCTURES/1222/0082) was implemented under the THALIA 2021–2027 program of the Research and Innovation Foundation (IDEK), with co-funding from the European Union.

The CyCLOPS project (Cyprus Continuously Operating Natural Hazards Monitoring and Prevention System, INFRASTRUCTURES/1216/0050) was co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund through the Research and Innovation Foundation (IDEK) as part of the RESTART 2016–2020 program.