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The Electronic Communications Department of the Ministry of State for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy co-organised today, 17 May 2023, with the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) and Eurisy International, a workshop on "Disaster risk management using satellite services", at the Hilton Nicosia Hotel.
The aim of the event, which was held under the auspices of the Honorable Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr. Philip Hadjizaharias, was to highlight the potential of satellite applications in the field of disaster risk management. It is worth noting that this is the first time that a high-level meeting on this topic is being organised in Cyprus, with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, the Director of the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) of the European Commission, Mr. Timo Pesonen, the Executive Director of EUSPA Mr Rodrigo da Costa and the President of the international organisation Eurisy, Ms Dominique Tilmans.
The event was attended by online stakeholders from 4 continents and 12 different countries such as the USA, Israel, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Algeria and Nepal while over 100 distinguished scientists, academics and researchers, heads of policy makers and representatives of the wider space ecosystem of Cyprus were physically present. Participants had the opportunity to share views and experiences and discuss ways of using satellite technologies in the management of emergencies arising from natural disasters, with particular emphasis on the further exploitation of the European Copernicus, Galileo and GOVSATCOM programmes.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director of the Department of Electronic Communications, Mr. George Komodromos, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr. Filippos Hadjizaharias said that "investing in space means investing in the future". Space is seen as a driver of innovation, growth and competitiveness and a key factor in accelerating the twin digital and green transitions and promoting social welfare. The vast amounts of information provided by satellite Earth observation systems can be used in various fields, one of them being Disaster Risk Management. He added that the space economy is one of the fastest growing and Cyprus aims to be part of the space revolution. "In this context," he said, "we are upgrading our satellite infrastructure, including with a ground receiving station, part of the European Union's Galileo system's Search and Rescue Service, to detect and locate emergency beacons. He pointed out that Cyprus is one of only three countries that host this type of infrastructure in Europe.
As Director General Dr. Chimona pointed out in his speech, "the exploitation of space technologies is a high priority for Cyprus, as these technologies are vital for economic growth, social welfare and cohesion, the protection of the environment, the enhancement of public safety and the promotion of excellence in science, research and innovation."
As Director General Dr. Chimona pointed out in his speech, "the exploitation of space technologies is a high priority for Cyprus, as these technologies are vital for economic growth, social welfare and cohesion, the protection of the environment, the enhancement of public safety and the promotion of excellence in science, research and innovation. He added that "Cyprus' strategic objective is to diversify the economy in order to reduce our dependence on traditional sectors such as tourism, agriculture and shipping. The development and use of space technologies can make a catalytic contribution to achieving this strategic goal."
In his intervention, EUSPA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa stated, inter alia, that "the EU Space Programme continues to offer tangible benefits to EU citizens and the world" and expressed his satisfaction that "Cyprus embraces its use and supports its development". For its part, EUSPA, he said, "will continue to put users at the heart of the EU's space programme."
In her own intervention, the President of Eurisy International, Ms. Tillmans, said, among other things, that the Union's Civil Protection Mechanism relies "on satellite mapping from the European Copernicus Programme, which provides timely and accurate geospatial information for planning disaster relief operations across Europe and abroad" as, she said, "disasters have no borders". He pointed out that the need to respond to natural disasters has increased and added that in the last two years alone, the Union's Civil Protection Mechanism has been called upon 320 times both inside and outside Europe. These figures, he said, show that a cooperative mechanism is needed to support EU Member States and beyond in order to increase Europe's resilience to disasters, particularly natural ones. He added that, in cooperation with EUSPA, they promote, through workshops such as the one held today, information on the possibilities offered by satellite technologies.
In parallel with the workshop, a search and rescue exercise was conducted at sea using space technologies and services of the EU's Galileo and Copernicus space programmes under the coordination of the Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Larnaca. The exercise was conducted in the framework of the Multinational Civil-Military Cooperation Exercise "ARGONAYTES - 2023" with the participation of a large number of state agencies as well as human resources and aeronautical assets of foreign countries.
The exercise was attended, among other officials and state officials, by the Executive Director of EUSPA Mr. Rodrigo da Costa, the President of the International EURISY Organization Mr. Dominique Tillmans, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr. Philippos Hadjizaharias and the Minister of Defence, Mr. Michael Yiorgallas, accompanied by the Director of the Department of Electronic Communications, Mr. Rodrigo Costa, the President of the International Organisation of EURISY, Mr. Rodrigo Costa, and the Minister of Defence, Mr. Michael Yiorgallas. George Komodromos.
(MX)
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