HOMEROS - Harmonising Observations from Multi-hazard Environments in Research for Open Science project image

Science cluster

ENVRI - Environmental Sciences

Summary

In today's interconnected world, communities face a diverse range of hazards, including natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and landslides, as well as human-induced events. To address these challenges, the HOMEROS project aims to strengthen multi-hazard assessment methodologies in seismology, geodesy, and geology. Leveraging technical solutions suited to the big data era, HOMEROS represents a significant advancement in standardising research processes, promoting collaboration, and enhancing understanding and prediction capabilities for natural hazards through Open Science practices. Focusing on high-risk areas in Greece with significant seismic activity, strong earthquakes, floods, and landslides, HOMEROS will compile earthquake catalogues and assess ground deformation products to provide a comprehensive evaluation of seismic hazards. Additionally, it will enhance the understanding of flood and landslide risks, vital for effective mitigation strategies. 

Research domains:
Earth and environmental sciences
Partner(s):
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (coordinator), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Patras, Lund University
Project team member(s):
Eleftheria Papadimitriou, Angeliki Adamaki, Vasilis Anagnostou, Stefania-Alexandra Andriopoulou, George Bathrellos, Stylianos Bitharis, Pavlos Bonatis, Michael Foumelis, Vasileios Karakostas, Ion-Anastasios Karolos, George Kaviris, Christos Kourouklas, Elena Papageorgiou, Eleftheria Papadimitriou, Christos Pikridas, Vassilis Sakkas, Hariklia Skilodimou, Ioannis Spingos, Angelos Zymvragakis

Challenge

Open Science project, Cross-domain/Cross-RI

Communities worldwide face a wide range of natural and human-induced hazards, which require more robust, data-driven approaches to assessment and mitigation. In regions like Greece, where seismic activity, floods, and landslides pose significant threats, existing observation systems often lack standardisation when combining interoperable services from diverse resources related to essential geohazard variables, hindering effective multi-hazard assessments. The HOMEROS project addresses these issues by developing methodologies that harmonise data and services, aiming for a more unified and comprehensive hazard assessment strategy.

Solution

The project integrates interoperable services from various sources, including pan-European data services (within the ENVRI Science Cluster), local resources (at the national level), and the EOSC, to standardise research processes. By comparing two geographical areas in Greece as case studies, each representing multi-hazard environments, HOMEROS aims to identify network and data needs crucial for improving earth observation and hazard assessment capabilities. Integration with the ENVRI Community and the EOSC will enable HOMEROS to utilise Open Science environments effectively, facilitating multidisciplinary data exchangeability and showcasing the value of integrating e-science tools in research. Moreover, the project will address data challenges, develop scientific workflows, and provide open access datasets and products essential for comprehensive multi-hazard assessments, including seismic data, ground deformation data, and information on landslides and floods.

Scientific Impact

HOMEROS will establish links between institutions, research infrastructures (RIs) and projects to disseminate results and promote the use of RI services for scientific purposes. Through the promotion of Open Science practices, it aims to democratise access to knowledge, encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration, and enhance community resilience against interconnected hazards. By offering accessible ecosystems for data exchange following the FAIR principles, HOMEROS will advance scientific knowledge in multi-hazard assessment. Its approach, characterised by transparent data sharing, collaborative modelling, and active community engagement, aims to catalyse significant changes in disaster preparedness, response strategies, and recovery processes. Ultimately, the project will empower communities worldwide to build resilience and adapt to the ever-changing risk landscape. Such open and collaborative efforts can lead a global shift towards more resilient societies.

Results

  • Use Case Demonstration: Seismological Data Processing Workflows in VREs within EU Node - In this use case, the project team tested how the early release of the EOSC EU Node can support everyday workflows in natural hazard research. They developed and ran Jupyter Notebooks to retrieve and analyse seismological data from open databases. For earthquakes in particular, it was demonstrated automated detection and analysis of seismic signals using open data and machine learning tools. A demonstration of statistical quality control on datasets commonly used in seismicity studies was conducted, offering insight into basic performance indicators—such as the time savings achieved when research workflows are executed on cloud-based VREs compared to local execution. Through these tests, the scalability and flexibility of the EOSC platform were explored, aiming to support data-driven research and improve tools for hazard assessment. All use cases were first demonstrated during the EOSC Symposium (watch the video) in October 2024, and later in webinars organised by the Swedish Research Council (January 2025) and the Hungarian Open Science Forum (April 2025).
  • Creation of a Zenodo Repository for Workflow Sharing and Reproducibility
  • Installation of Permanent GNSS Stations on Lefkada and Kefalonia for Enhanced Seismic Monitoring: As part of the HOMEROS project’s mission to improve multi-hazard assessment in seismically active regions of Greece, two permanent GNSS stations were successfully installed on the islands of Lefkada and Kefalonia. Equipped with high-rate Trimble receivers and collocated with existing seismographs, these stations provide continuous, high-resolution ground deformation data. Integrated into the national seismological and Hermes GNSS networks, they support advanced seismic hazard modeling and earthquake cataloguing. Committed to FAIR and Open Science principles, the data are planned to be openly accessible, fostering collaboration and enhancing risk mitigation efforts. | PICTURES
  • Establishment of Collaboration with Greek Association of Academic Libraries to develop Data Management Template for Geosciences: Members of HOMEROS have become early adopters of new tools and services developed by the libraries, such as institutional repositories, DOI services, and the Data Management Plan (DMP) tool. In collaboration with library experts, they will make a first attempt in autumn 2025 to create a shared DMP template tailored to the needs of Geosciences. This will mark an important milestone for advancing research practices in the field across Greece. 

Publications

Events

Other promotional material

  • POSTER | Harmonising Observations from Multi-hazard Environments in Research for Open Science. Expectations and first examples from the EOSC EU Node services for Researchers, LU Open Science Days 2024, 19 November 2024, Lund, Sweden.
  • POSTER | Cultivating FAIR principles for multi-hazard assessment, 17th International Congress of the Geological Society of Greece.
  • POSTER | Fostering FAIR approaches to the seismological data life cycle, 17th International Congress of the Geological Society of Greece.
  • POSTER | HOMEROS project for natural hazards: An example from northern Peloponnese, Greece, 17th International Congress of the Geological Society of Greece
  • PRESENTATION | HOMEROS – Harmonising Observations from Multi-hazard Environments in Research for Open Science, 1stOSCARS Annual General Meeting, Rome, Italy.
  • PRESENTATION | FAIR Data Management in Academic Research: Leveraging Digital Infrastructure for Open Science, EGI2025, 2-6 June 2025, Santander, Spain.
  • PICTURES
Keywords
data sharing, collaborative modelling, disaster preparedness, hazard assessment, earthquakes, ground movement, landslides, floods
Project start date:
Project duration:
24 months

Principal investigator

Eleftheria Papadimitriou PI HOMEROS
Eleftheria Papadimitriou
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
BIO

Eleftheria E. Papadimitriou is a geologist and seismologist with a deep commitment to advancing the field of geophysics. With a Bachelor's degree in Geology and a Ph.D. in Seismology, her career is dedicated to furthering our understanding of earthquake generation. She has fostered international collaborations and established connections with 55 foreign institutions and actively participated in more than 65 research projects, assuming scientific responsibility for 20 of them. With over 240 publications and 2500 citations, her research has made a lasting impact on the field of geophysics.

QUOTE
"HOMEROS strengthens multi-hazard assessment in seismology, geodesy, and geology, using Open Science to standardise accessible research and enhance collaboration. By focusing on high-risk areas, it advances earthquake, flood, and landslide risk understanding, guiding effective mitigation strategies."
Resources