The Unit of Environmental and Networking Technologies and Applications (ENTA), at ATHENA-RIC in Xanthi is dedicated to promoting fundamental and applied research in all aspects of the contemporary environmental and networking problems, such as climate change and space networking. More specifically, the applications promoted by ENTA intent to assist society, individual citizens and the local production sectors to achieve a better quality of life, increase productivity, product competitiveness and wealth.
Characteristic example is the primary agricultural production that in order to guarantee the quality of its produce or to certify its “biological” origin, requires the use of remote sensing, networking technologies, atmospheric pollution monitoring the monitoring of climate change and of meteorological and micrometeorological parameters.
Furthermore, ENTA can assist the local government in cases of local accidents or natural disasters, even in remote and not easily accessible areas. Regions of Greece like East Macedonia and Thrace that has limited road network and difficult to access areas, suffers from natural disasters that are difficult to respond to. In general, Greece with its numerous islands and mountainous mainland is in need of specialized equipment and technologies to improve its competitiveness, promote its products and counteract natural disasters. To this end, ENTA intends to combine technologies and knowhow from a number of scientific fields so as to assist in the progress that the region and the country requires.
Personnel
- Prof. Dr. S. Rapsomanikis: Laboratory of Atmospheric Pollution and of Pollution Control Engineering of Democritus University of Thrace. The Laboratory also operates the Greenhouse Gases Flux Station VOCALS of the Geo-Carbon project of the WMO, to which it provides continuously all its data via the “flux data” portal (http://www.europe-fluxdata.eu/home/sites-list). ENTA also operates, via the European Consortium EUFAR, an aircraft for research concerning Atmospheric Pollution, Greenhouse Gases Fluxes and Climate Change Parameters: http://www.eufar.org/aircrafts/66
The team of Prof. S. Rapsomanikis is comprised by University staff members from DUTH and other Greek Universities.
- Prof. V. Tsaoussidis. Director of the Internetworked Systems Lab (formally "Programming and Information Processing Lab) of Democritus University of Thrace and founder of the Center of Space Networking in DUTH. The Laboratory has been funded by European competitive projects with more than three (3) million euros in the last five years. The team is comprised by university staff members, and researchers like:
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Dr. S. A. Lenas
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Dr. I Komnios
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Ph.D. student S. Diamantopoulos
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Ph.D. student C. Malliou
And supporting secretarial personnel : A. Papakonstantinou with experience in the handling the finances of large European projects.
Collaborations
As far as European and International collaboration is concerned the Unit interacts and collaborates mainly with the following institutions: Cambridge University U.K.; NASA /JPL, USA; UCL, U.K.; AFA systems, Italy; Copelabs Portugal; Senception, Spain; Tekever Portugal; Tecnalia, Spain; FON Technology, Spain; Bologna University, Italy; NASA/AERONET; EUFAR EU; Meteo-Frrance; Cranfield University, U.K.; Royal Meteorological Office, U.K.; KNMI and NLR both of the Netherlands, DLR Germany; WMO and many others.