RSCy 2026 Conference: Cyprus plans to track fires by satellite every 20 minutes

In Paphos, on Monday, April 27, 2026, the international forum RSCy 2026 on remote sensing and environmental geoinformation opened, showcasing technologies that will help track the spread of fires using satellite data in near-real-time.

As reported by Diofantos Hadjimitsis from the Eratosthenes Center of Excellence at the Cyprus University of Technology, by processing satellite images, it is possible to receive updated forecasts on the direction of fire spread every 20 minutes. According to him, the assessment will be carried out with a spatial resolution of five by five kilometers, corresponding to an area of 25 square kilometers.

It is specified that the system will also allow for obtaining satellite images of any territory. Using artificial intelligence methods, it will be possible to extract archival images of the same location from different periods to track changes over time.

Hadjimitsis noted that by 2030, the launch of 53 satellites is planned, which will expand the volume of data available to countries participating in the relevant programs. At the opening of the conference, "space diplomacy" was also discussed: representatives from embassies and diplomatic missions of Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, Greece, Egypt, and India were present.

RSCy 2026 takes place in Paphos from April 27 to 29. The conference is being held for the 12th time; it is organized under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.