Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering

The representation of results concerning the topography and the geographical space of areas of archeological interest on maps has always been an interdisciplinary challenge. In this sense, it is possible to use the experience of members of the faculty and the staff and the existing equipment of institutions from different disciplines so as to bring to light the opportunities arising from the interdisciplinary approach of an issue which is intriguing in many respects, and leads to a better understanding of the history and cultural development of a place.
In December 2009 the collaboration of GeoInformatics Laboratory of the Department of Surveying Engineering of the Technological Educational Institute of Athens with the 39th Prehistoric and Classic Antiquities which is located in Tripoli of Arcadia prefecture. This collaboration aims at the development of a geographical data base comprising elements of archaeological interest, which will help in the documentation and elevation of these elements through the use of GeoInformatics technology tools.
According to the common perspective that regulates this collaboration, the value of digital geographical data (maps and information of archaeological interest) constitutes a necessity for an archaeological service of the modern era. At the same time, this common effort focuses on innovative research procedures, the results of which contribute to the cultural, social and economic development of a place.
One of the main goals of the aforementioned collaboration is the investigation of those methods that can lead to the formulation of standards and specifications concerning cartographic representations of archaeological landscapes.
The cartographic products to be developed will focus on two main directions: (a) maps as tools which will be used by archaeologists in their surveys and excavating activities; therefore, these maps will represent the specialized information which is appropriate to this end in the proper scales, and (b) maps demonstrating the results of archaeological research to the general public.
The results of this venture will contribute to:
1 The systemization of scientific research in disciplines that lag behind in Greece.
2 The exploitation of the added value which will occur through the experience of the national and international scientific community.
3 The consolidation of methodologies and state-of-the-art technologies in bodies responsible for cultural surveillance.
4 The development of the conditions for the extension of the collaboration through projects funded by 7th Framework.
5 The consolidation of the interdisciplinary collaboration.
6 The national and international exposure of the work of institutions which will be documented through papers published in international and national journals and announcements in conferences both during the collaboration and after it.

Ticks were collected from various regions of northern Greece and tested for the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) RNA. Human and animal sera were collected in the regions where CCHFV-positive ticks were detected, and they were tested for the presence of IgG antibodies against the virus. A CCHFV strain was detected in Rhipicephalus bursa ticks collected from sheep in Kastoria regional unit, differing by 9.7% at the nucleotide level from the AP92 strain, which was isolated in 1975 in another region of Greece. Up to date, CCHF cases have not been reported in these regions. The human seroprevalence in the area was estimated at 6%, while IgG-positive sheep was detected in two of the four neighboring farms tested. The circulation of this specific CCHFV lineage in Greece, especially in a region where the seroprevalence is high, together with the lack of human CCHF cases, suggests a probable antigenic, but non- or low-pathogenic character of this lineage. Further studies on these strains will increase our knowledge about the role of AP92-like strains in the CCHF epidemiology, which might be useful for drug and vaccine design.

Rural space in Greece is experiencing a significant transformation. During the last four decades the traditional urban-rural dichotomy has given its place to complex spatial patterns which are in a process of continuous change. This change is the result of a variety of factors such as the international economic environment, the emergence of new economic activities in rural areas, mainly

The re-exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Tegea, presents for the first time to the public not the mere fact, but the course of events, the causal relationships leading to the consolidation of the institution that constitutes the hallmark of the Greek way of social organization, namely the polis (city-state). In this framework the motivation of the visitor to deepen in this complex phenomenon through the myth, dialects, social, economic, political and military history as well as the recent historical – archaeological approaches lay at the center of the whole effort.
Simultaneously, besides the detailed archaeological documentation of the above and in order for us to provide the optimum results, we implemented an integrated multidisciplinary approach. Geography and Cartography now played an important role. Spatial analysis of the archaeological - historical data was introduced, so as their documented interrelation with geographic space, geological environment and topography to be accomplished. Thus the goal of presenting in a comprehensive way the actual space certain events took place, as well as their projection to the present was fully achieved.
Furthermore, the combination of the archaeological and historical knowledge with the advanced digital technology of the interactive surfaces, and graphic art, which can represent the anthropogenic processes or even natural phenomena and situations, allows the creation of a linear flow of events.