Author: pancyber

Raymetrics is the global leader and most experienced atmospheric LIDAR manufacturer in the world, with more than 20 years in the industry. Raymetrics produces backscatter, depolarisation and Raman lidars for atmospheric applications, as well as components such as telescopes designed specifically for lidars. The innovations of LIDAR technology, based on extensive R&D efforts, have evolved into impactful environmental applications. A multitude of atmospheric detection applications allow us to address the challenges of air pollution, emissions identification, reduction and elimination, as well as risk management of environmental hazards. Through a combination of experience and expertise, it can offer some of the most powerful systems available commercially. 

The Department of Labour Inspection (DLI) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (MLSI) is the Competent Authority for the monitoring of various atmospheric pollutants, as well as for the assessment and management of air quality, so as to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens and the protection of vegetation and the environment in general. The Air Quality Monitoring Network in Cyprus was established in 2006 with the aim to protect and inform the public regarding the air quality in Cyprus and includes nine (9) stations. This network is operated according to the Cyprus and the European Legislation. The stations of the network are equipped with modern instruments based on the standards of the corresponding European networks. The National Reference Laboratory (NRL), as well as the Air Quality Monitoring Stations Network, are accredited according to the Standard CYS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by the Cyprus Organisation for the Promotion of Quality (CYS-CYSAB).

For the better management of the network and the presentation of the air quality situation in Cyprus, these stations are categorized, based on the air quality legislation in relation to the measurement area as:

• Traffic Stations which are stations representative for areas with high traffic (Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaka, Pafos and Paralimni),
• Residential Stations which are stations representative for residential areas (Nicosia),
• Industrial Stations which are stations representative for industrial areas (Zygi and Mari) and
• Background Stations which are stations representative for background areas (Ayia Marina Xyliatou).

These monitoring stations have the ability to obtain measurements from different pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, NOx), ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), Particulate Matter (PM2.5, PM10) and benzene (C6H6). Furthermore, the most important meteorological parameters are being monitored, such as: wind direction (W/D), wind speed (W/S), ambient temperature (T), relative humidity (R/H), barometric pressure (B/P) and solar radiation (S/R), by using automatic instruments for continuous measurements.In addition, DLI carries out measurements of concentrations of PM using special filters with dedicated samplers in all towns of Cyprus. From these samplings, which are carried out according to the gravimetric reference method, firstly the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 are calculated and then the concentrations of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are determined.  The results of the measurements together with other relevant information are presented on-line on the website www.airquality.gov.cy. In addition, the public information regarding the air quality is carried out through indoor panels which are placed in three Municipalities Offices and through four island-wide TV stations after their evening central news bulletin.  DLI, in order to inform the public, has proceeded to the preparation of a mobile phone application with android and iOS software, for the immediate information of the employees, the sensitive population groups, the public, the relevant bodies, the visitors and other people interested about air quality. Through this application, the people can have access to the information regarding the air quality, based on the different colours of pollution levels on Cyprus map as well as based on the concentrations of pollutants per station. In Cyprus, there are frequent incidents of dust transfer from the arid and partially arid areas (deserts) of North Africa and Middle East. For this reason, in these cases announcements are issued to warn the public and specifically the sensitive groups (children, elderly and patients) and to protect people working in open spaces.

Municipality of Agios Nikolaos is one of the local authorities of Crete island. It has 27.074 permanent inhabitants but the population increases up to 80.000 in the summer because of tourists. The Municipality includes 25 administrative regions and 5 small islands. The total length of the coastline stretches up to 100km. The maximum altitude is 873m and the average altitude is about 334m. About climate, winters are mild and summers are very hot. There is low rainfall during the winter and long period draughts during the summer. The municipality faces climate hazards such as: water scarcity, extreme high temperatures, rising level of sea, droughts, coast corrosion. There is major interest in the protection and management of coastal areas, where corrosion and land loss take place and sea level rises. The effects of all these in tourism, social and financial improvement will be significant. The water scarcity threatens plant production and livestock rearing. The municipality has signed the Covenant of Mayors and has prepared Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP). Moreover, inside the village of Municipality of Agios Nikolaos called “Finokalias”, lies the station of environmental measurements since 1993, managed by the Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL) of the Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, which has been conducting research and education of the environment.

University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) is a leading multidisciplinary higher education and research institution. The quality of UVSQ’s undergraduate and graduate programs (master’s programs, doctorates, post-doctoral fellowships) is backed by the compelling research programs conducted in UVSQ research centers and laboratories.

UVSQ is a medium size university (20 000 students) located in the Southwestern suburb of Paris, where internationally known businesses are established (such as Renault, PSA, Dassault…) as well as renowned French research institutes (CNRS, INRA, CEA…).

Spread over 5 campuses with 19,000 students, UVSQ offers more than 200 disciplinary programs which allow it to welcome international students interested in studying in France for a semester, an academic year, or the full duration of a degree program. UVSQ faculties offer academic and professionally-focused undergraduate and graduate programs in many fields of study.

UVSQ ranks 12th in the French university of the 2019 World University ranking THE and 2nd in the 2018 Shanghai ranking in Atmospheric Sciences. Its excellence as a research university is assured by its 39 laboratories and research institutions and is locally, nationally and internationally recognized as a source of expertise and resources. Heritage, materials, climate, environment, space science, public health, epidemiology, and disability are all fields in which UVSQ has become a major player, both within research networks and beyond. 

These laboratories foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research that anticipates societal concerns, informs citizens and advice decision-makers.

Established in 1973, the University of Crete is a young public educational institution committed to excellence in research and teaching. The seat of the University is the Gallos Campus in Rethymnon, where the Schools of Philosophy, Education, Social, Economic & Political Sciences are located. The Voutes Campus in Heraklion is home to the School of Sciences & Technology and the School of Medicine, as well as a number of affiliated research-oriented infrastructures and facilities, including the University General Hospital.
The University accepted its first students in 1977-78. Currently, over 18,000 undergraduates and 3000 postgraduate students are registered here. They are educated by an outward-looking academic faculty of around 450 members, supported by adjunct lecturers, post-doctoral researchers, laboratory staff and instructors, as well as around 300 technical and administrative staff.
The international orientation of the University is reflected in its track record of collaborations with many of the leading research and educational institutions in Europe and worldwide, as well as active promotion of mobility and exchange programmes. Research and research training at all levels benefits also from the de facto regional cluster of research institutions i.e. the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture (IMBBC), the University General Hospital (PagNi) as well as the other HEIs in Crete.
Reflecting its research activity and associated initiatives, the University of Crete is the first Greek University to have signed the EU Charter and the Code for the recruitment of researchers, and forms part of the Euraxess European network for the mobility of researchers. The University fully participates in quality assurance mechanisms both for its academic and administrative structures, and it is a strategic choice of the University that there will be an ongoing effort to meet quality in all its structures.
Located on the island of Crete, a site rich in ancient and modern Mediterranean cultures, the University offers a vibrant social and intellectual environment for research and education. As such, whether your contact with the University is brief or long-term, we trust it will be rewarding.