Scientific Manager – Multimodal Data Fusion and Analytics Group

DATAWiSE

DATAWiSE Intelligent and Sustainable Building Management powered by Cross-Sectoral Lifecycle The overall objective of DATAWiSE is to develop and test building and building portfolio management tools, leveraging cross-sectoral lifecycle data, on the basis of an open, secure, interoperable, and scalable framework, to maximize both energy efficiency and stakeholder value. Utilizing cutting-edge artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, the methodology integrates data from a variety of sources to provide a holistic understanding of building operations. Besides technological innovation, the project also incorporates a supportive market and policy framework designed to offer evidence-based pathways for widespread adoption and commercialization. DATAWiSE aims to provide a standardized approach for managing and exploiting building-related big data. M4D is the coordinator of DATAWise project. It is also responsible for the scientific and technical management of the project,…

HYPER-AI

HYPER-AI Hyper-Distributed Artificial Intelligence Platform for Network Resources Automation and Management Towards More Efficient Data Processing Applications HYPER-AI overarching objective is the development of the required mid-tier and the necessary cloud-edge connectors that will enable the seamless integration of heterogeneous computing environments and the establishment of new-generation interoperable and adaptive hybrid computing ecosystems exploiting cognitive clouds and edge intelligence beyond today’s limitations. HYPER-AI objectives are listed as follows: Design and implement the HYPER-AI open architecture that will empower swarms of nodes to develop collaboratively collective intelligence, bringing the computation closer to the edge, utilizing decentralized AI/ML-based intelligence. Ensure dynamic cognitive and informative optimized decision-making across all phases of the application lifecycle (design, execution, maintenance) through continuous inference resources. Develop autonomic system entities ensuring autonomous Smart-Nodes and rapid coordination of Smart-Nodes…

ACTING

ACTING Advanced European platform and network of Cybersecurity training and exercises centres The ACTING project delivers an organized and coordinated approach to proactively improve efficiency of cyber defence training and exercises in the European Union, through effective and efficient multi-sector collaboration. The 28 Partners, from 13 MSs, will execute a 48-month work plan to develop, model, and demonstrate a network of advanced interconnected (federated) domain-oriented cyber ranges for training and exercises, incorporating sophisticated methods and techniques for simulation of users, analysis of the performance of the cyber operators, and scoring cyber security situational awareness, supported by leading-edge scenario development language. The ACTING project integrates study, design, prototyping, and testing activities in the domain of cyber security. In order to justify the capabilities of the proposed approach and resulting tools and…

VANGUARD

VANGUARD adVANced technoloGical solutions coupled with societal-oriented Understanding and AwaReness for Disrupting trafficking in human beings VANGUARD aims to strengthen the fight against trafficking in human beings (THB) at the nexus of advanced technological solutions, understanding, awareness raising, and training to disrupt the trafficking chain at an early stage and address the culture of impunity. It aims to provide an improved intelligence picture of THB, with particular focus on THB for purposes of sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, and forced criminality. This will be achieved through developing a modular and trustworthy suite of tools for detecting, identifying, investigating, and preventing online-facilitated THB activities and THB-related activities at (border) checkpoints based on the analysis of online multimedia content and multimodal streams, by leveraging the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI). It will…

FALCON

FALCON Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks Current evidence suggests that the global fight against corruption faces serious challenges: policy decisions are not well informed, the corruption landscape is complex and enormous, while measuring corruption is so far mostly based on subjective approaches, and there is lack of appropriate technological tools to support anti-corruption. To address these challenges, FALCON is designed and dedicated to support the composition, update and management of comprehensive corruption intelligence pictures, within domains and jurisdictions of interest. This will be accomplished following a multi-actor, evidence-based, data-driven approach, building upon existing assets and prior work of consortium partners. FALCON will, first, develop and validate objective and actionable indicators of corruption that can be used to inform policy decisions. Second, it will design, implement and integrate…

TESTUDO

TESTUDO Autonomous Swarm of Heterogeneous resources in infrastructure protection via threat prediction and prevention As its surroundings changes radically and climate conditions deteriorates, Europe and its Members adapt to these current challenges. To this end and in order to maximise their usability, the EC established a framework of a common policy (EU Security Market study) by categorizing potential technologies per security domain, including Critical Infrastructure (CI) Protection. This trend is indicative for the importance and significancy that the EC gives to these matters. Any potential disruption, either intentional as a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, may risk smooth operations of such structures that may have a severe impact on a local society and its daily activities or well-being. Current advancements in various technologies can be particularly beneficial in CI…

FUELPHORIA

FUELPHORIA Accelerating the sustainable production of advanced biofuels and RFNBOs – from feedstock to end-use FUELPHORIA will set-up and test value chains for advanced biofuels and renewable non-biological fuels in Europe, establishing sustainable, competitive and secure value chains for advanced biofuels. The project contributes to the objectives of the European Commission’s 2022 REPower EU Plan “to scale-up renewables, achieve electrification, and replace fossil-based heat and fuel in industry, buildings, and the transport sector”. A versatile range of processes including but not limited to chemical, biological, and photo-biological processes will serve as the scaffold to convert different feedstocks into an array of renewable fuels of quality specifications defined by end-users in the transport (e.g. maritime and road) and in the power (e.g. gas or oil-fired thermal plants) production sector. Four demonstrators…

CONNECTOR

CONNECTOR CustOms exteNded iNteroperablE Common informaTiOn shaRing environment CONNECTOR aims to support the European Integrated Border Management (EIBM) and the EU Customs Action Plan by emphasising the importance of collaborative efforts among Customs, Border and Coast Guard Authorities in managing borders, especially under current and future challenging circumstances. This objective can be achieved through Customs participation in the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) network and Enhanced Common Information Sharing Environment (e-CISE) via the proposed Customs Extended Common Information Sharing Environment (CE-CISE). CONNECTOR proposes an integrated, common, and shared risk assessment approach for all Border Management Authorities. This approach considers pan-EU common risk indicators for each end user group, including Customs, Border and Coast Guards Authorities, as well as FRONTEX. Its aim is to safeguard the external EU border, protect EU…

ALLIES

ALLIES AI-based framework for supporting micro (and small) HSPs on the report and removaL of onLIne tErroriSt content The ALLIES project aims at supporting micro (and small) HSPs in achieving compliance with the new requirements and obligations under the TCO Regulation. To achieve this, ALLIES adopts four main approaches, each targeting skill development and innovation. These four pillars will be respectively focused on (1) learning and awareness raising, (2) technical development and adaptation, (3) training and education, and (4) experience sharing and reporting mechanisms. Both the learning and awareness raising initiatives will further expand the capacity of the TCO Regulation by designing a taxonomy of online terrorist related behaviours. The second pillar will be focused on the development of a specific set of AI-boosted user-friendly tools that will enhance small…

PERIVALLON

PERIVALLON Protecting the EuRopean terrItory from organised enVironmentAl crime through inteLLigent threat detectiON tools PERIVALLON aims to provide an improved and comprehensive intelligence picture of organised environmental crime and develop effective and efficient tools and solutions for detecting and preventing such types of criminal activities and for assessing their environmental impact based on geospatial intelligence, remote sensing, scanning, online monitoring, analysis, correlation, risk assessment, and predictive analytics technologies, by leveraging the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fields of computer vision and multimodal analytics. As a result, enhanced investigation processes and methodologies will be derived through the capabilities provided by the developed tools and solutions, and the insights obtained though the proposed Environmental Crime Observatory. The capacity of end users (including Police Authorities and Border Guards) will also…

FaRADAI

FaRADAI Frugal and Robust AI for Defence Advanced Intelligence An important crosscutting need for Artificial Intelligence is to create technologies for trustworthy autonomous and frugal learning, i.e. the ability of a system to adapt and learn from its environment, including from user supervision, for a reasonable cost and without intervention from expert developers nor regression. Such technologies can be highly disruptive and have high impacts for many capabilities, especially when the information to manage is highly variable or unpredictable and high adaptability is needed. These technologies can also alleviate the current need to provide data to the system developers to get improvements depending on such data, which can be critical when the data is confidential, and is thus critical for defence. They can more generally enhance technological independence. Selected actions…

CTC

CTC Cut The Cord With the nature of terror incidents undergoing a technology-aided transformation (e.g. use of cryptocurrencies to enhance anonymity), the monitoring and analysis of financial transactions play a pivotal role in the effort to timely prevent actions and funding of global terrorism. Financial crime exploits every aspect of digital transformation and identifies non-traditional products for financing and supporting terrorist organisations, such as social media, cryptocurrencies, and other Financial Technologies. The prevention and disruption of terrorism financing requires international cooperation and advanced investigative techniques based on new technologies. The CTC project (Cut The Cord) aims to enhance the public-private cooperation through the establishment of a wide stakeholder community, with the vision to sustain it beyond the end of the project. Joint training exercises (theoretical and hands-on) will be organised…

Nestor

NESTOR NESTOR – aN Enhanced pre-frontier intelligence picture to Safeguard The EurOpean boRders NESTOR aims to demonstrate a fully functional next generation holistic border surveillance system providing pre-frontier situational awareness beyond maritime and land border following the concept of the European Integrated Border Management. NESTOR long-range, wide area surveillance capabilities for detection, recognition classification and tracking of moving targets (e.g. persons, vehicles, drones etc.) is based on optical, thermal imagine and Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum analysis fed by an interoperable long range IP-based network of sensors including stationary installations and mobile manned or unmanned aerial, water surface, underwater and ground vehicles, capable of functioning both as standalone, tethered and in swarms (UAV, USV, UUV and UGV) platforms. NESTOR Border Command Control and Coordination intelligence (BC3i) system using cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence…

ODYSSEUS

ODYSSEUS Preventing, Countering and Investigation Terrorist Attacks Through Prognostic, Detection and Forensic Mechanisms for Explosive Precursors ODYSSEUS aims to increase the knowledge on homemade explosives (HMEs) and explosive precursors, including precursors not previously studied, and develop effective and efficient prognostic, detection, and forensic tools to improve the capabilities of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) towards the prevention, countering, and investigation of terrorist incidents involving HMEs. ODYSSEUS will build upon relevant previous projects mainly HOMER, through the involvement of HOMER’s core partners in this consortium, and will thus continue the work already performed in HOMER on some precursors and also further extend it to not previously studied precursors. To discover potentially hitherto unknown information, online HMEs recipes will be collected and their content will be analysed in order to extract knowledge about…

SECANT

SECANT SECurity And privacy protectioN in Internet of Things devices SECANT aims to contribute decisively towards improving the readiness and resilience of organisations against the crippling modern cyber-threats, by increasing the privacy, data protection, and accountability across the entire interconnected ICT ecosystem, and by reducing the costs for security training in the European market. To this end, the SECANT platform will enhance the capabilities of organisations’ stakeholders, by implementing (a) collaborative threat intelligence collection, analysis, and sharing; (b) innovative risk analysis specifically designed for interconnected nodes of an industrial ecosystem; (c) cutting-edge trust and accountability mechanisms for data protection, and (d) security awareness training for more informed security choices. The effectiveness and versatility of the proposed solution will be validated in four realistic pilot use case scenarios applied in the…

CALLISTO

CALLISTO Copernicus Artificial Intelligence Services and data fusion with other distributed data sources and processing at the edge to support DIAS and HPC infrastructures Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already part of our lives and is extensively entering the space sector to offer value-added Earth Observation (EO) products and services. CALLISTO project integrates Copernicus data, already indexed in DIAS platforms such as ONDA-DIAS, utilising High Performance Computing infrastructures for enhanced scalability when needed. Complementary distributed data sources involve Galileo positioning data, visual content from UAVs, Web and social media data linking them with open geospatial data, in-situ sensor data. On top of these data sources, AI methods are applied to extract meaningful knowledge such as concepts, changes, activities, events, 3D-models, videos and animations of the user community. AI methods are also…

ISOLA

ISOLA A system platform that enhances the situational awareness and support Ship’s Security Stakeholders to the execution of their duties referring to the Ship's Security Plan Maritime transport enables trade and contacts between all EU nations and has always been a catalyst for economic development and prosperity of the Union. One of the major concerns of EU policy is to protect the citizens and economies from the consequences of unlawful intentional acts against shipping and port operations. ISOLA will develop, integrate, test, deploy, demonstrate and validate a systematic and fully automated security approach by incorporating innovative technologies for sensing, monitoring, data fusion, alarming and reporting real-time during illegal incidents. This will ensure high level of security among all passengers of the ship and augmentation of the Ship Security Plan. The…

7SHIELD

7SHIELD Prevention, detection, response and mitigation of combined physical and cyber threats to critical infrastructure in Europe The 7SHIELD project addresses the security and the resilience of EU Ground Segments of Space Systems, meeting the crosscutting and the sectorial criteria of the EU critical infrastructures (2008/14). The Copernicus era has created a new market with the massive amounts of satellite data that the ground segments of space systems receive serve to the market and governmental bodies. A physical/cyber-attack to their installations or communication networks, respectively, would cause debilitating impact on public safety and security of EU citizens and public authorities. A physical attack on a space ground segment makes the distribution of satellite data problematic and, on the other hand, a cyber-attack in its data storage, access and exchange affects…