GreCO Consortium
The “GreCO” consortium is a well-rounded collaborative network with partners spanning various sectors,
including public authorities, industry, academia, and civil society, following the Quadruple Helix model.
This diversity of partners brings a wide range of competencies critical for achieving the project’s objectives and expected results.
The GreCO consortium is a well-rounded collaborative network with partners spanning various sectors, including public authorities, industry, academia, and civil society, following the Quadruple Helix model.
The MEA provides expertise in local governance and stakeholder engagement, while ELAN handles project management and evaluation. The UNIPI contributes multidisciplinary research capabilities with a focus on tourism, culture and sustainability, and Zelus brings advanced data visualization and AI-driven insights. The NTUA partners, including the “Laboratory of Photogrammetry” and the “Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering”, specialize in urban planning, AR technologies, and traffic management. The NOA offers Big Data integration and AI-based environmental modeling, while SPAY leads citizen engagement, ensuring local and bordering community interests are considered.
Their collaboration ensures a holistic approach to addressing the multifaceted challenges of sustainable urban tourism, making our partnership indispensable for project success.
Main Urban Authority
MEA Municipality of Elliniko-Argyroupoli
About: ΜΕΑ is an urban municipality of 50,000 citizens population located just 9.5 km south of Athens, with a large coastal area and mountainous terrain, that hosts the largest urban regeneration project in Europe, the Hellinikon project. The area will attract 1,000,000 tourists annually, increasing mobility in the municipality, especially in the coastal zone.
Contribution to GreCO: MEA will lead the initiative and ensure its relevance to its stakeholders leveraging its experience collaborating with municipalities in and outside of Greece.
Contribution to GreCO: MEA will lead the initiative and ensure its relevance to its stakeholders leveraging its experience collaborating with municipalities in and outside of Greece.
Delivery Partners
ELAN Elliniko Anelixis
About: ELAN Company, the development organisation of the MEA, aims to be an integrated structure of entrepreneurship and local development with scope primarily in Attica, but also the entire Greek geographical area. The investment in human resources, the orientation towards measurable results and within schedules, and the securing of all transparency and accountability tools that govern public accounting, are cornerstones of the Company’s operation.
Contribution to GreCO: ELAN will ensure the implementation and evaluation of the project idea as well as the management and support of the project partners.
Contribution to GreCO: ELAN will ensure the implementation and evaluation of the project idea as well as the management and support of the project partners.
SPAY Union of Protection and Development of Hymettus
About: SPAY was founded in 1992 with the aim of protecting the ecosystem of Mount Hymettus and developing it into a ‘green lung’. To achieve its goals, SPAY takes a series of actions such as weeding tasks, disposing of flammable substances and litter, maintaining fire extinguishing systems, clearing and maintaining forest roads, repairing fire lookout towers, reforestation volunteer projects and a plethora of actions raising environmental awareness regarding the protection of Mt. Hymettus. SPAY is the largest, purpose-driven Union in the country and comprises 120 contiguous municipalities located around Mt. Hymettus.
Contribution to GreCO: SPAY will be the first among multiple citizen engagement organizations that will ensure the interests of the local and bordering communities are taken into consideration as well as the protection of Imitos forest.
Contribution to GreCO: SPAY will be the first among multiple citizen engagement organizations that will ensure the interests of the local and bordering communities are taken into consideration as well as the protection of Imitos forest.
UPRC University of Piraeus Research Center
About: UPRC facilitating the research activities of the University of Piraeus members in various programs and initiatives, holds a pivotal role within our partnership, bringing invaluable expertise and resources to the table. Established in 1983, UPRC’s long-standing commitment to research, particularly in the fields of economics, management, and computing, aligns seamlessly with the objectives of our project.
With an extensive experience in managing and implementing over 1,000 research programs and education initiatives and in facilitating multi-stakeholder cooperation, UPRC involvement ensures a balanced and well rounded partnership that spans academia, industry, public authorities, and civil society, positioning us for robust and impactful project delivery.
Contribution to GreCO: UNIPI contributes multidisciplinary research capabilities with a focus on tourism, culture and sustainability. The team of UNIPI and the Department of Tourism Studies focuses on research and development activities in various areas of the field of tourism and urban tourism proactive planning.
With an extensive experience in managing and implementing over 1,000 research programs and education initiatives and in facilitating multi-stakeholder cooperation, UPRC involvement ensures a balanced and well rounded partnership that spans academia, industry, public authorities, and civil society, positioning us for robust and impactful project delivery.
Contribution to GreCO: UNIPI contributes multidisciplinary research capabilities with a focus on tourism, culture and sustainability. The team of UNIPI and the Department of Tourism Studies focuses on research and development activities in various areas of the field of tourism and urban tourism proactive planning.
Zelus Zelus
About: ZELUS Established in 2019, is a start-up that is based in Greece. Empowered by an experienced, skillful team, it focuses on services and tools promoting increased productivity among data practitioners via meaningful data storytelling and enhanced decision-making. Real-time data analysis, interactive representations, shareable dashboards, and collaborative capabilities are key features of the company’s offerings. Targeting decision-makers and security analysts, our services span from collection and analysis of systems (e.g. analysis of infrastructure monitoring logs, security incidents, and digital evidence) to network security services and privacy-preserving systems to enhance users’ data management and protection.
Contribution to GreCO: ZELUS’ advanced visualisation techniques will allow scalable data visualisation approaches while the AI-enabled exploration of data will reveal hidden insights making the suggested routes truly unique. Focusing on security by design, ZELUS ensures cybersecurity-related situational awareness and users’ data protection. Zelus’s technical department will take care of the development of the web and mobile-served application as well as the integration with third-party services.
Contribution to GreCO: ZELUS’ advanced visualisation techniques will allow scalable data visualisation approaches while the AI-enabled exploration of data will reveal hidden insights making the suggested routes truly unique. Focusing on security by design, ZELUS ensures cybersecurity-related situational awareness and users’ data protection. Zelus’s technical department will take care of the development of the web and mobile-served application as well as the integration with third-party services.
NTUA National Technical University of Athens
About: NTUA is the oldest engineering school and it plays a paragon role in the scientific, technical, and economic development of Greece. It is consistently ranked as the best Greek technical university in Europe and worldwide. The NTUA team of the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering has considerable experience in efficiently producing high-quality research. It is also experienced in developing interactive platforms, databases, and knowledge systems for all types of users (national/city authorities, stakeholders, researchers, individual citizens, etc.). The Laboratory of Photogrammetry (NTUA-pLab team) was founded in 1962 and has an important educational and research activity, at a global level. Its research focuses, among others, on monitoring and recording changes in dynamic environments, on the development of multidimensional information management systems, on 3D reconstruction and mapping using Computer Vision Algorithms, on Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications.
Contribution to GreCO:
The NTUA, Department of Civil Engineering, will design the alleviation of congestion by carefully planning the alleviation of tourists across the city. With further support by the Laboratory of Photogrammetry AR technologies will be exploited for the creation of immersive cultural and historical experiences.
Contribution to GreCO:
The NTUA, Department of Civil Engineering, will design the alleviation of congestion by carefully planning the alleviation of tourists across the city. With further support by the Laboratory of Photogrammetry AR technologies will be exploited for the creation of immersive cultural and historical experiences.
NOA National Observatory of Athens
About: The NOA, has historically been designated by the Greek government as the sole institution responsible for environmental, atmospheric, earth observation, geodynamic, space, astronomy and astrophysics research and studies, with a clear mandate to provide innovative services and support for the benefit of Greek citizens. At the global level, it hosts a) the UNESCO Chair on Natural Disasters, established within the framework of UNESCO-BRESCE, b) the Secretariat of the South Eastern European Disasters Risk Assessment and Mitigation Network, & c) the Focal Point for the GEOSS, one of the 4 national GEO Offices in the world. The Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications & Remote Sensing (IAASARS), through its operational unit “BEYOND Center for Earth Observation Research and Satellite Remote Sensing”, systematically participates in EC, regional and ESA-funded research and has achieved considerable excellence in the area of EO-based environmental, DRR and sectoral (agriculture, energy, health) support.
BEYOND innovatively integrates monitoring networks and data hubs to (i) allow a variety of monitoring networks and data hubs to operate in a complementary, (ii) archive long series of observations and derived products, and (iii) make these observations and products available for exploitation by stakeholders, scientists and/or institutional users, applicable for down-streaming to their specific needs.
Contribution to GreCO:
NOA provides expertise in Big Data integration and AI-based modeling. NOA will spatio-temporally integrate sensor data and develop Machine Learning pipelines and algorithms to model current and future environmental impacts of the routes throughout the city.
BEYOND innovatively integrates monitoring networks and data hubs to (i) allow a variety of monitoring networks and data hubs to operate in a complementary, (ii) archive long series of observations and derived products, and (iii) make these observations and products available for exploitation by stakeholders, scientists and/or institutional users, applicable for down-streaming to their specific needs.
Contribution to GreCO:
NOA provides expertise in Big Data integration and AI-based modeling. NOA will spatio-temporally integrate sensor data and develop Machine Learning pipelines and algorithms to model current and future environmental impacts of the routes throughout the city.
Transfer Partners
Municipality of Botosani (RO)
Botoşani, located in northern part of Moldavia, Romania , and hosts 117,990 habitants. The GreCO networking project provides an excellent opportunity for each Transfer Partner to develop proactive planning and anticipatory measures to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of the municipality and the well-being of its residents as an emerging tourism destination.
Through a combination of personalized tourism experiences, community engagement, sustainable practices, and data-driven decision-making, GreCO provides Botoșani with the tools needed to address its social, economic, and environmental challenges effectively.
Through a combination of personalized tourism experiences, community engagement, sustainable practices, and data-driven decision-making, GreCO provides Botoșani with the tools needed to address its social, economic, and environmental challenges effectively.
Municipality of Milazzo (IT)
Milazzo, located on the northeastern coast of Sicily, is a small yet significant urban area (29.884 habitants), serving as a gateway to the Aeolian Islands.
Milazzo’s interest in replicating and transferring these innovative solutions stems from its unique urban challenges and strategic goals. As a small urban area with significant cultural heritage and natural beauty, Milazzo faces the dual challenge of managing a high volume of tourists while preserving its social, economic, and environmental fabric. Through Implementing GreCO’s sustainable practices helps protect these assets from overuse and environmental damage, ensuring their long-term viability. Also, by leveraging technology will help tourists to engage with the destination with eco-friendly prectices anhancing the overall experience.
Milazzo’s interest in replicating and transferring these innovative solutions stems from its unique urban challenges and strategic goals. As a small urban area with significant cultural heritage and natural beauty, Milazzo faces the dual challenge of managing a high volume of tourists while preserving its social, economic, and environmental fabric. Through Implementing GreCO’s sustainable practices helps protect these assets from overuse and environmental damage, ensuring their long-term viability. Also, by leveraging technology will help tourists to engage with the destination with eco-friendly prectices anhancing the overall experience.
Senglea Local Council (MT)
Senglea is a charming fortified city in Malta with impressive historical structures and a population that amounts to 2732 habitants. GreCO’s routes will help Senglea to better manage tourist flows and adopt effective strategies for destination management while simultaneously providing a more personalised and better tourism experience. Also, measurement and management mechanisms for pollution levels are crucial to enhance the efficiency anagement of environmental pollution, especially caused by the cruise industry.