The Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS/NOA) is one of the three institutes of the National Observatory of Athens, the oldest research institution of Greece. Between the main activities of the Institute are basic and applied research in a number of topics relating to astrophysics, space science, remote sensing, and signal processing, as well as ground, and space based earth observation services. The institute is also committed to outreach and science dissemination for the general public.
IAASARS/NOA hosts the operations of BEYOND (www.beyond-eocenter.eu): a European Centre of Excellence for Earth Observation based monitoring of Natural Disasters, which situates IAASARS/NOA as a dynamic actor for multi-hazard management at regional, Mediterranean, and European level. BEYOND meets the clear need for operating a regional Centre for disaster risk assessment, and monitoring, and disaster mapping with remote sensing means. It systematically provides products and services mainly for South-Eastern Europe, N. Africa, Middle East, and the Balkans. The IAASARS/NOA has successfully achieved, through the operations of BEYOND, to enhance its observational capacities, drawing new creative perspectives in EO-based disaster management and service delivery, while allowing sustainable collaborative schemes to be formed.
The BEYOND Center of Excellence substantially contributes to human, institutional and infrastructure capacity building, via the uptake of a crucial role in coordinating local and regional actors. It creates multi-directional communication and co-operation channels with research centers, and universities, as well as space agencies, international organizations, and institutional authorities all around Europe, N. Africa, Middle East, and the Balkans. It is not only building around new EO monitoring infrastructures, but also seeks to the effective integration and exploitation of the existing know-how, and skills, as well as the technical, and financial resources, in the context of the environmental monitoring and disaster risk reduction. It deploys advanced modeling capacities to meet operational needs, for real-time multi-hazard assessment such as fires, and fire progression, smoke, dust, and toxic pollutant dispersion, flooding monitoring and flooding risk, as well as earthquake, volcanic, and landslide risk assessment and damage mapping. A lot of information is delivered in the form of services, providing new knowledge in the decision making process, for drawing mitigation and adaptation measures. In this context the BEYOND Center brings significant thrust towards the creating a "hub of excellence" in disaster monitoring and management at regional level.
IAASARS/NOA hosts a multi-disciplinary team of highly skilled researchers and senior engineers with hundreds of publications in peer reviewed journals, nominations and awards in different thematic areas such as Earth Observation (Land, Air, Water, Sea, and Security), Signal and Image Processing, SAR data and InSAR Processing, Data Fusion, Space Geodesy, Geo-Information Systems Development, Disaster Management, Emergency Response, Data Modelling and Assimilation, and Crowd Data Integration and Fusion. Through BEYOND it operates on a 24/7 basis observational infrastructures, for receiving and archiving Earth Observation raw data and higher level products. It maintains web interfaces for querying, retrieving and delivering the data and products to the scientific and institutional user communities, and the wider public at national, regional, and global level.
Data Bases of archived satellite data and metadata with reference to MODIS, NPP, NOAA, FYI, MetOP, future NPOESS satellites, and mirror site for ESA Sentinels missions.
For more information on the host institution, visit: https://www.astro.noa.gr/en/
