In September 2024, Nikos Kamakiotis of FLEVO Ltd (Cyprus) carried out a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), focused on the forensic digital reconstruction of wildland–urban interface (WUI) wildfires.
Methods
A comprehensive briefing covered past applications, data collection methods, and the construction of isochronous fire front curves, a critical step in understanding how a wildfire developed. The visit also looked at automating parts of the reconstruction methodology to streamline future investigations.
The Varnavas wildfire
Together with the NOA team, Nikos applied this approach to the Varnavas wildfire near Athens, which had struck the month before. They carried out site observations and began reconstructing the fire’s progression, contributing to the understanding of this devastating event.
Nikos returned to this line of work in 2026 with a second NERO STSM in Croatia, reconstructing the Pisak wildfire.
About the grant
| Grantee | Nikolaos Kamakiotis |
| Home institution | FLEVO Ltd, Cyprus |
| Host | National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Greece |
| Dates | 2–6 September 2024 |
| Grant type | Short-Term Scientific Mission |
This grant was funded by COST Action CA22164 – European Network on Extreme Fire Behaviour (NERO), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
