Investing in Strategic Infrastructures for Geohazard Prevention in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: The CyCLOPS Integrated GNSS/InSAR Permanent Network and the Cyprus Ground Motion Service

CyCLOPS is a strategic research infrastructure unit led by the Cyprus University of Technology Laboratory of Geodesy, designed in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and supported by government agencies and European initiatives. CyCLOPS is Cyprus’ first and only Tier-1/ Class-A permanent GNSS station network designed to monitor geohazards and densify global and regional frames in the country. Its main objectives are to precisely estimate ground displacements at the national level, bolster resilience to seismic and geological threats, and establish Cyprus as a dedicated calibration site for SAR satellite missions.

Co-located with highly precise tiltmeters, weather stations, and calibration-grade corner reflectors, this infrastructure provides millimeter-level positioning and velocity estimates, revealing critical insights into the island’s geodynamic regime. The CyCLOPS strategic research unit integrates GNSS data with InSAR products — DInSAR, PSI, and SBAS — to expand deformation spatial resolution beyond GNSS’s single-point observations. Using corner reflectors designed with the DLR, CyCLOPS enables multi-track calibration for ascending and descending satellite orbits, which are particularly important for studying tectonic shifts along the Eurasian-African plate boundary. To date, the infrastructure has identified the tectonic motion of Cyprus and monitored active landslides with considerable weekly velocity.

In addition to its permanent segment, CyCLOPS features a mobile segment equipped with GNSS stations of the same grade, tiltmeters, and electronic corner reflectors that can be swiftly deployed to areas prone to geohazard risks, such as landslides or rockfall zones. The Operations Center (OC) manages storage, analysis, and dissemination of both GNSS and InSAR data products. Leveraging a cloud-supported, mixed microservices architecture, the OC delivers daily positions of ground stations and their quality assessment, real-time alerts for abrupt events, and monitors the infrastructure operating status.

Beyond national priorities, another key objective of CyCLOPS is to support regional and global infrastructure initiatives. To that end, CyCLOPS already contributes three GNSS CORS to the European Plate Observing System (EPOS), and one station to EUREF’s EPN.

CyCLOPS+ marks the next expansion phase aiming to establish a continuously updated Cyprus Ground Motion Service (CyGMS) by densifying the existing network with at least five new Tier-1/Class A GNSS CORS sites, and more electronic corner reflectors (ECR-C) to enhance both real-time and post-processing analysis. An important outcome of CyCLOPS+ will be a robust national velocity model that will complement and calibrate the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) by filling spatial coverage gaps and addressing reference frame challenges. Finally, CyCLOPS+ aims to improve national disaster preparedness, inform infrastructure planning, and provide critical data to authorities responsible for safeguarding communities against seismic hazards, landslides, and other geological threats. Through close collaboration with government agencies and stakeholders, CyCLOPS+ aims to position Cyprus at the forefront of integrated ground motion monitoring in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Acknowledgements:

• The authors would like to acknowledge the 'CyCLOPS+' (RIF/SMALL SCALE INFRASTRUCTURES/1222/0082) project, which is co-financed by the European Regional and Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation in the framework of the Cohesion Policy Programme "THALIA 2021-2027" and by national resources.