Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Greece

Introduction - History

The Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS) was established in 1985 and belongs to one of the research units of the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH). The Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), established in 1983, is one of the largest research centers in Greece with well - organized facilities and highly qualified personnel. It functions under the supervision of the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs and consists of seven Research Institutes located throughout Greece: Herakleion, Rethymnon, Patras and Ioannina. The Foundation's headquarters are located in Herakleion, Crete.

The research and technological directions of the Foundation cover major areas of scientific, social, and economic interest, such as: Computer Sciences, Molecular Biology, Lasers, Telecommunications, Medical Engineering, Microelectronics, Robotics, Biotechnology, Materials, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Biomedical Technologies, Bioinformatics as well as Historical and Cultural Studies.

FORTH, based on Science, Technology and Innovation develops high quality research work, enhances innovative technology, supports the university teaching and cultivates collaborations with university educational institutes, research foundations and private companies in regional and international level.

Laboratory of Geophysical - Satellite Remote Sensing & Archaeoenvironment

Since 1996, the Laboratory of Geophysical - Satellite Remote Sensing & Archaeo-environment, one of the Technological Labopratories of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, has offered valuable information in the area of Geophysical Prospection, Satellite Remote Sensing (GIS), Virtual Reality (VR) and Archaeo-environment and has been widely recognized due to the quality of the services provided, the results of the research projects carried out and the training of students and professional archaeologists both in Greece and abroad. The Laboratory employs the most modern techniques for accurate field measurements and has a technical support (hardware and software) that meets the needs of processing, analyzing and mapping geophysical and satellite data. The Lab offers a full suite of services dealing with the mapping of subsurface relics according to their environmental context.

Member of International Organizations

The Laboratory is member of EPOCH (European Network of Excellence in Open Cultural Heritage), of AGILE (Association of Geographic Information Laboratories of Europe) and of EARSEL (European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories).

Collaborations

Services and collaborations of the Laboratory have been expanded including a large number of research and university foundations from Greece, Australia, Belgium, France, Italy, USA, China, Cyprus, China, Sweden, Island, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, a.o. Since 1996, more than 115 research projects have been carried out with the collaboration of the Technical University of Crete, the University of Crete, the University of Athens, the University of Ioannina, the University of Thessaly, the University of Cyprus, the Institute of Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, the Center of Technological Research of Crete (CTR-Crete), the Technological Educational Institute of Crete, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture (Divisions of Volos, Cyclades, Dodekanesse, Kavala, Komotini, Chania, Lasithi, Thebes, Nafplion, Corinth, Herakleion, Lamia, Kerkyra, Ioannina, a.o.), Foundation of Hellenic World, Foundation for the Study of Alexander's Civilization, Natural History Museum - University of Crete, Municipality of Rethymno, Ecole Francaise D'Athenes, Swedish Archaeological School of Athens, Instituto Per Gli Studi Micenei De Egeo-Anatolici, Groningen Inst. of Archaeology, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Οhio State University, Univ. of Chicago, Univ. of Cornell, Univ. of Washington, Univ. of Nebraska - Lincoln, Univ. of Melbourne and Univ. of Monash, Univ. of Berkeley, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chicago Field Museum of Natural History, the Cyprus Institute, a.o.

The Lab is also connected to development and public agencies for carrying out large scale development and construction works (e.g. construction of national road Athens-Thessaloniki, Attika highway, ERGOSE A.E. railways, AGET-HERAKLES, K.I. Sarantopoulos Ltd - ΜΕΤOΝ Ltd, ΤΕÎ'Î’ Î'.Ε., Doxiadis Associates/ABP PLUS International S.A., Prefectures of Rethymno and Herakleion, Municipalities of Rethymno, Chersonesos, Almyros, Loutraki-Perachora, Neapolis, a.o.).

The Lab is conducting innovative research in topics related to Cultural Geographic Information Systems and Web-GIS applications, while it has participated in projects related to the mapping of the walls and the development of an information system for the Acropolis of Athens, the development of an application for the archaeological cadastral of Cyprus, the development of an observatory for the water management of Eastern Mediterranean, the construction of a WEB/WEB-GIS application for the promotion of the European path E4 of the Prefecture of Rethymno, a.o.

Significant Activities / Milestones

Among the most significant activities / milestones of the Laboratory, the following are included:

• Participation in more than 40 large-scale national and international research programs (Wenner-Gren, NSF-USA, Culture 2008-2013, Leverhulme Trust, University of Cyprus, LIFE, e-Content, INTERREG, ARCHIMED, PΕΝΕD, ΕPΕÎ'ΕΚ, INSTAP, NERC, Region of Crete, 3rd Community Support Framework and Cohesion Fund, Innovative actions ETPA)
• International collaborations with research and educational institutions from Greece, Australia, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.S.A, China, Cyprus, Sweden, Island, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, S. Korea, a.o.
• Scientific supervision and partnership of more than 115 projects of applied and basic research on geophysical prospection of archaeological sites in Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Hungary, S. Korea, a.o.
• More than 45 databases and 40 GIS/WEB_GIS applications for natural resources and cultural heritage.
• More than 340 publications in international journals and Proceeding Volumes (150+), conferences (120+ oral and 70+ poster communications) and 80 technical reports.
• Co-organization of CAA2002 and participation in the scientific and organizing committees of Int. conferences and symposia.
• Practical training of more than 300 students from Greek and foreign universities (Univ. of Crete, Technical Univ. of Crete, Univ. of Thessaly, TEI of Crete and Athens, University of Birmingham, το Universite Catholique de Louvain,Chicago Field Museum of Natural History, University of Cyprus, κ.α.
• Research supervising of graduate and undergraduate dissertations (7 PhD, 14 MA/MSc, 14 BA) from national and European universities.
• Bilateral and Technological Research Programs with Cyprus, Bulgaria and China.
• Member of International organizations, such as AGILE (Association Geographic Information Laboratories Europe), EPOCH - Excellence in Processing Open Cultural Heritage, EARSEL - European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories
• Contribution in teaching graduate and undergraduate seminars at the U. of Crete, Univ. of Thessaloniki and the Technological Educational Institute of Crete.
• Organization of training lectures and workshops for GIS, Satellite Remote Sensing, GPS surveying.

Researchers of the Lab were elected as vice-president of the European Section of the Archaeological Remote Sensing Consortium (A.R.S.C.) and as assistant Greek representative in the scientific committee for Peace and Security of NATO. Currently they have been elected as Vice-chairman of the International Society for Archaeological Prospection (ISAP) & member of UISPP Commission IV, and are also acting as associate editor of the Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Journal & of Archaeological Prospection Journal.

Current Participation to Research Projects

• Wenner-Gren Foundation - International Collaborative Research Grant , "Early Village Social Dynamics: Prehistoric Settlement Nucleation On The Great Hungarian Plain"
• ArchaeoLandscapes Europe European multiannual project (2010-2015) - European Commission - Directorate General Education and Culture, Programme Culture
• LIFE & Environmental Policy and Governance. Strategies to Improve and Protect Soil Quality from the Disposal of Olive Oil Mill’s Wastes in the Mediterranean Region
• GIS Analysis of the Archaeological Survey in Neapolis, Peloponnese – University of Athens
• Mobile Archaeological Lab "STAR-Lab” (ΥΠΟΔΟΜΗ/ΣΤΡÎ'ΤΗ/0308/30), Cyprus Research and Eductional Foundation

 Data Bases & Map collections

The Lab contains a number of important cartographic collections (land use, topographic, geological, hydrolithological maps) of the island of Crete, together withother geographical refeenced databases that concern the archaeological sites, caves, mountains, rivers, settlements, earthquake epicenters, road network, a.o. of Crete. In addition, satellite images of Landsat covering the whole island and Quickbird images of the urban centers of Crete are included.

A number of databases have made use of GIS applications and they are accessible through the internet. Some of them are:

•  DIGITAL CRETE
• Emarket – path E4: Internet Itineraries of the E4 Path (Rethymno-Pafos-Larnaka), INTERREG III Î' Greece-Cyprus
• Development of GIS Applications of Rethymno Municipality
• Byherinet: Byzantine Heritage Network, INTERREG III
• Mediterranean medieval places of pilgrimage network of the documentation, preservation and enhancement of monuments in the Euromediterranean area (EGERIA)
• Advanced Techniques for Seismic RISK reduction in Mediterranean Archipelago Regions
• Development of an Expert System for the Monitoring, Management & Protection of the Natural Landscape & Environmental Resources of the Island of Crete
• Observatory of Water Resources of E. Mediterranean
• Re-evaluation of the Dynamics of the Thessalian Neolithic Period: Habitation and Resources Management
• LIFE & Environmental Policy and Governance. Strategies to Improve and Protect Soil Quality from the Disposal of Olive Oil Mill’s Wastes in the Mediterranean Region
• ITANOS Archaeological Survey
• Minoan Peak Sanctuaries 

Recent Publications (2011)

• Papadopoulos, N., Tsourlos, P., Papazachos, C., Tsokas, G., Sarris, A. & Kim, J. H., An Algorithm for Fast 3-D Inversion of Surface Electrical Resistivity Tomography Data: Application on Imaging Buried Antiquities, Geophysical Prospecting, EAGE, No. 59, pp. 557-575, 2011.
• Panagiotakis, C., Kokinou, E. & Sarris, A., Curvilinear Structure Enhancement and Detection in Geophysical Images, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vo. 49, No 6, pp. 2040 - 2048, June 2011.
• Alexakis, D., Sarris, A., Astaras, Th. & Albanakis, K., Integrated GIS, remote sensing and geomorphologic approaches for the reconstruction of the landscape habitation of Thessaly during the neolithic period, Journal of Archaeological Science, V. 38, Issue 1, pp. 89-100, 2011.
• Papadaki, E., Mertikas, St. & Sarris, A., Identification of Lineaments with Possible Structtural Origin Using ASTER images and Dem Derived Products in Western Crete, Greece., EARSeL eProceedings, volume 10 (1), 2011, pp. 9-26.
• Sarris, A., Seferou, P., Kokkinou, E. & Papadopoulos, N., Geophysical Prospection as a way of confirming older topographic plans and descriptions of archaeological sites,Proceedings of the 14th International Congress “Cultural Heritage and New Technologies”, ISBN 978-3-200-02112-9, pp. 234-245, 2011. (accessed 17 January 2011)
• Charitopoulos, E. & Sarris, A., Documenting Venetian and Ottoman landscape in Crete: Settlement patterns, road network and productive areas in Rethymnon inland,Proceedings of the 14th International Congress “Cultural Heritage and New Technologies”, ISBN 978-3-200-02112-9, pp. 582-591, 2011. (accessed 17 January 2011)
• Papadopoulos, N. & Sarris, A., Integrated geophysical survey to characterize the subsurface properties below and around the area of Saint Andreas church (Loutraki, Greece),Proceedings of the 14th International Congress “Cultural Heritage and New Technologies”, ISBN 978-3-200-02112-9, pp. 643-652, 2011. (accessed 17 January 2011)
• Sarris, A., Peraki, E., Seferou, P., Kokkinaki, M., Theodoropoulos, S., & Kydonakis, A., Web Based Applications for the Promotion and Dissemination of Cultural Heritage Sites and Monuments. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress “Cultural Heritage and New Technologies”, ISBN 978-3-200-02112-9, pp. 675-686, 2011. (accessed 17 January 2011)

Contact Information

Dr. Apostolos Sarris (Director of Research of the Lab and Deputy Director of IMS-FORTH)
Laboratory of Geophysical - Satellite Remote Sensing & Archaeo-environment
Foundation for Research & Technology, Hellas (F.O.R.T.H.)Institute for Mediterranean Studies (I.M.S.)
Melissinou & Nik. Foka 130, PO. Box 119, Rethymnon 74100, Crete, Greece
tel. +30-28310-25146, ++30-28310-56627,
mobile: 6944-789404,
fax. +30-28310-25810
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WEB SITE: www.ims.forth.gr