University of Athens

HELLENIC REPUBLIC

NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS

SCHOOL OF SCIENCES

FACULTY OF GEOLOGY & GEOENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATOLOGY

Post. Adress : Panepistimiopolis, Zografou 157 84, Αthens

Τel. - Fax : +30 210 7274297

E-mail: evelpidou@geol.uoa.gr

Scientific Coordinator: Dr. Dr. Ν.

Historical Background

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was founded in May 1837. It was the first University, not just in the new Greek State but in the entire Eastern Mediterranean. Nowadays, it is constituted by the Faculties of Sciences, Law, Economic and Political Sciences, Health Sciences, Philosophical and Theological ones.

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, its academic personnel along with the managerial support of the Special Account of Research’s Allocations, has acquired well-grounded experience in the elaboration of both research projects and projects associated to the enhancement of the Higher Education. During the 1st Program of EPEAEK it undertook the following works: Programs of Postgraduate Studies, Programs of Practical Exercise, Reformation of Programs of Studies, Modernisation of the Libraries of the Institution, Network Infrastructure of the Institution as well as Horizontal action of Network Infrastructure Higher Education Institutions - Technical Colleges, Programs of Studies of Choice, Programs of Study from Distance etc. Simultaneously, it undertook programs which aimed in the Academic and Professional Upgrade of the First Degree Education’s Educators and in the Additional Education of graduates of Higher Education.

Furthermore, it successfully participated in projects concerning the upgrade of the First and Second Degree Education by projects related to the Education of Individuals of Special Categories, the Education of Individuals of Special Needs, the Training of Educators, the Training Programs of Environmental Education, Pilot Program of All-day long School, National Network for the education- EDU-NET, Development of the application of the School Libraries in the prefectures of Viotia, Fthiotida, Fokida, Evrytania and Larissa etc.

More precisely, The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has undertaken the elaboration of eighty (80) Programs of Postgraduate Studies. The Postgraduate Programs correspond almost to all the scientific fields within its thirty (30) Departments. Besides the Program EPEAEK ΙΙ, 135 proposals of the work “IRAKLEITOS” and 87 proposals of the work PYTHAGORAS I have been approved and materialized; many of them refer to issues of Environmental Protection and Environmental Education.

The National & Kapodistrian University of Athens constitutes a principal computing, research, environmental pole within the Greek academic and European society. It realizes 514 developmental projects within the 3rd Community Support Framework, of a total budget 80.456.858, 27€. In addition, the University of Athens cooperates with other organisations and provides scientific services in 55 more projects, of a total budget of 54.626.006,48 €. Within the initiative of Op. Pr. ''Competitiveness'', the

University of Athens realizes projects of a total budget of 9.768.373, 96 € The School of Sciences is represented at 33% in those EU projects.

Research Team

The research team of the Department of Geography - Climatology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, under the coordination of Dr. Dr. N. Evelpidou along with the professors and researchers of the University of Athens, it deals with the following objects:

Mathematic Geography
Remote Detection
Geographic Systems of Information
Digital Elaboration of Image
Mathematic Methods and Models in Geosciences
Applications of Space Science and Technology

Activity on a National and International level

The collaboration on issues of Remote Sensing, geographic data analysis, geomorphology and geo-archaeology places the bases for the expansion of the research horizons in the used technology, as well as in the regions where it is applied.

The team has an active participation in projects, via the financing from various institutions, such as the General Secretariat of Research and Technology of the Ministry of Development, the Committee of Researches of the University Athens, the European Union, and various Legal Persons of Private Right. The thematic units of these programs cover sectors such as the analysis of geoenvironmental aspects, the application of GIS in the local and regional authorities’ services, the processing of geo – archaeological data, the development of specialised softwares etc.

The members of the research team participate in more than 15 National Programs and 8 European, such as, for example, the programs PYTHAGORAS ΙΙ, INTERREG III C “CAVESNETWORK”, INTERREG III B ARCHIMED ‘BYHERINET’ & ‘MANWATER’, INTERREG MEDOCC ‘GRINMED’, COST ACTION 634 “On and Off – site environmental impacts of Run off erosion, COST ACTON C22 “Urban Flood Management”, COST Action A27 “Landmarks”, etc.

Digital database development

The development and the update of digital geographical data banks is a focal task of the research team. The bases of physical - geographical data which exist to the servers of the Remote Sensing Laboratory contain tens of Gbytes of raster and vector datasets. The available data cover, in a small scale, the whole Europe and Asia and, in a big scale, the 86% of the Greek State. This structure allows the georeference of any form of data (for example field observations, climate measurements, environmental elements, geochemical analysis, geo - archaeological observations), the spatial and quantitative analysis, the comparative analysis with other information layers and the production of sophisticated thematic maps.

The aim of this effort is double. Firstly, it is the existence of a united ground of digitalized data which would be able to constitute the base for common inter – scientific publications and studies, in collaboration with teams from the University of Athens and beyond. Secondly, it is directed to increase the competitiveness of the team for its participation in research programs and competitions.

Educational Work

Besides the lectures in undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the support of diplomatic, postgraduate and doctoral theses, the team also materializes postdoctoral research and other educational activities; seminars, publication of books, web-based material, GIS-courses on line are also within the priorities of the team.