Marios S. Kyriakou
Marios S. Kyriakou is a Research Software Engineer II at the KIOS CoE, the founder of the online QGIS Cyprus initiative, and a member of the KIOS Open Science Committee. He holds a B.Sc. (2012) and an M.Sc. (2014) in electrical engineering from the University of Cyprus. He leads the software development team in the Smart Water and Environmental Systems Group at KIOS under the supervision of Prof. Demetrios Eliades. His work involves translating academic research into software, requiring effective communication with research associates and engineers from various backgrounds and fields of expertise.
Sessions
Marios S. Kyriakou, Stelios G. Vrachimis, Christos Laoudias, Demetrios G. Eliades, Marios Polycarpou, and Christos Panayiotou
KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, University of Cyprus
Managing water contamination risks during emergencies such as floods or earthquakes requires seamless collaboration between first responders, water authorities, and public health experts. Digital Twins (DTs) offer an effective solution by integrating real-time sensor data (e.g., chlorine levels, flow rates, and pressure readings) with dynamic models and advanced algorithms for state estimation, risk assessment, anomaly detection, and event management. Decision-support tools built on DTs enable real-time risk assessment and help evaluate response measures within limited timeframes.
At the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence (KIOS CoE), University of Cyprus, we use QGIS to develop the tools connected to the Cyprus Digital Twin (CyDT) platform for government organizations. CyDT contains the Cyprus Dataspace, a database with an API that consolidates a large number of open data in Cyprus, e.g., weather data, sensor data, and statistical data. By customizing QGIS, we created Decision Support tools and Digital Twins for various operators. For instance, Oceanos Digital Twin, developed within the QGIS framework for the water authorities of Lemesos, streamlines the transition from geospatial models to real-time computational models.
Within our research center, QGIS serves as the primary software for multiple projects. We develop and maintain various QGIS plugins for the official repository through EU and government-funded initiatives (e.g., ImportPhotos, ImportEPANETInpFiles), demonstrating QGIS’s practical application in large-scale operations and its integration with other geospatial products.
As active contributors to the QGIS community, the KIOS Open Science Committee supports the QGIS Cyprus online community and produces changelog videos for the official QGIS Community YouTube channel.