The objective of this paper is to introduce CyCLOPS, a novel strategic research infrastructure unit, and present its current progress of implementation, and integration in the National geodetic, geophysical and geotechnical infrastructure of the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus. CyCLOPS is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation under the grant agreement RIF/INFRASTRUCTURES/1216/0050. CyCLOPS is developed via the collaboration of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and supported by the Cyprus Geological Survey Department and the Department of Lands and Surveys. The main objective of CyCLOPS is to establish an integrated infrastructure for space-based monitoring of geohazards using the most prominent earth observation technologies (EO), such as GNSS and InSAR. Furthermore, the infrastructure will densify and form the backbone for the definition of the next generation national datum of the Republic of Cyprus. Eleven Tier-1/2 state-of-the-art GNSS CORS, precise weather stations, tiltmeters and specifically designed InSAR triangular trihedral corner reflectors will be deployed, in a collocated fashion, at selected locations throughout the government-controlled areas of Cyprus. The collocated configuration will be established and installed to be compliant with the most stringent CORS monumentation specifications, support all current GNSS constellations and SAR missions. Finally, one of CyCLOPS’ fundamental aims is to actively contribute to the on-going efforts and growing demand for more precise positioning services and high-quality modern reference frames, in conformity with the recommendations of the UN-GGIM (and its Subcommittee of Geodesy) to establish and enhance national geodetic infrastructures to support the sustainable management of geospatial information on the changing Earth.

In the last five years, the urban development of the city of Limassol has rapidly increased in the sectors of industry, trade, real estate, and many others. This exponentially increased urban development arises several concerns about the aggravation of potential land subsidence in the Limassol coastal front. Forty six Copernicus Sentinel-1 acquisitions from 2017 to 2021 have been processed and analyzed using the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) and the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS). A case study for the identification and analysis of the persistent scatterers (PS) in pixels in a series of interferograms and the quantity of the land displacements in the line of sight of the Limassol coastal front is presented in this research, with subsidence rates up to about (−5 to 4 mm/year). For the validation of the detected deformation, accurate ground-based geodetic measurements along the coastal area were used. Concordantly, considering that there is a significant number of skyscrapers planned or currently under construction, this study attempts a preliminary assessment of the impact these structures will pose on the coastal front of the area of Limassol.

The implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in each European country aims to bring together different public authorities and stakeholders to sustainably organize and map marine and coastal resources. The first step for the development of MSP was achieved successfully for Cyprus, through the implementation of the first cross-border project, "THAL-CHOR." Following the "THAL-CHOR" project, its successor project entitled "THAL-CHOR 2", is expected to evaluate the increased needs for the management and monitoring of the maritime space, the design and implementation of relevant policies focusing on the European MSPs’ good practices and to set up the draft maritime spatial plan for the marine waters of Cyprus. The implementation was achieved by combining the principles of maritime spatial planning with issues of wider maritime governance, politics and economics while taking into account good practices by international organizations and individual states. For the study of MSP, all data from THAL-CHOR project were combined with the updated data resulting from the implementation of "THAL-CHOR 2". The project is based on the institutional framework to analyze and organize human activities at sea and coastal space to achieve the synthesis of social, economic, environmental, and cultural objectives of the Republic. The aim is to submit different MSP scenarios to be a policy proposal that will promote sustainable development in the marine area and the coastal zones, pursuing the harmonious coexistence of activities and uses, applying an approach based on principles of sustainability.

In the last five years, the urban development of Limassol City has rapidly increased in the sectors of industry, trade, real estate, and many others. This exponentially increased urban development introduces several concerns about the aggravation of the land subsidence in the Limassol coastal front. Fifty Copernicus Sentinel-1 data from 2017-2021 have been processed and analyzed using the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) and the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatters (StaMPS). A case study for the identification and analysis of the elements (PS) in pixels in a series of interferograms, and then, the quantity of the land displacements in the Line of Sight, in the Limassol coastal front, is presented in this research, with the subsidence rates up to about (-5 to 4 mm / year). For the validation of the detected deformation, accurate ground-based geodetic measurements along the coastal area were used. Concordantly, taking into account that there are a significant number of skyscrapers planned to be built, this study attempts a preliminary assessment of the impact these structures will pose on the coastal front of the area of Limassol.

No abstract