The KIOS Center of Excellence (KIOS CoE) of the University of Cyprus has developed the Sensor Placement (S-PLACE) Toolkit, an open source (OS) toolkit designed to determine optimal locations for installing contaminant sensors in water distribution systems. The goal is to reduce the risks of water contamination that could, for instance, impact public health and the environment. The toolkit is used by the Cypriot Limassol District Local Government Organisation to manage the quality of water in the city and the countryside of Limassol.

 

What is KIOS CoE ?

Established in 2008, KIOS CoE operates within the University of Cyprus as a funding recipient of the EU Horizon 2020 Programme and the ERC grant, grants that the EU awards for scientific excellence. KIOS CoE is the largest research and innovation centre in Cyprus addressing ICT. A key aspect of its work involves researching critical infrastructures, such as electric power systems and water distribution networks. Moreover, while researching, the findings and possible software that KIOS CoE develops are always openly accessible to everyone as KIOS CoE follows the EU principles of open science. For example, it has an open knowledge framework that encourages its researchers to upload their work to an open research repository. KIOS CoE has participated in several projects and events supporting the use of OSS in the public sector since its inception and has been the recipient of many open science awards.
 

At KIOS, we see open science as more than just making research accessible, it is a tool that promotes collaboration, transparency, and replicability- Marios Kyriakou

 

The OS S-Place Toolkit

The S-PLACE Toolkit has been designed to be user-friendly and modular, suitable for both the professional and research community. It is programmed in the Matlab coding language utilizing the EPANET OS library and the  EPANET-MATLAB Toolkit (EMT), another two OS applications by KIOS CoE that model and simulate water distribution systems. The modular software architecture of the S-Place Toolkit allows each module to be accessed independently and allows the user to add, modify, or remove methods, as well as to program new functions. It is licensed under the European Union Public Licence (EUPL) an EU software licence that facilitates the sharing and reuse of software developed by public administrations. 

 

We chose the European Union Public License (EUPL) because it ensures that our software remains open while providing a legal framework compatible with European regulations. - Marios Kyriakou

 

Marios, a research software engineer II at the KIOS CoE and a member of the KIOS Open Science Committee, believes that OS projects should be supported by many people worldwide, which accelerates coding and the development of new solutions. In addition, he mentions that the industry must build solutions on top of these tools, enabling faster and more reliable development of new solutions that can reach the market.

 

For more information on the work of KIOS CoE click here

For a comprehensive overview of the KIOS CoE GitHub click here

For more information on recent trends and developments on OS in Cyprus see OSOR’s latest Cyprus Country Report.

Logo picture from KIOS CoE “KIOS at a glance” section
In-text picture of the library of the University of Cyprus taken by ek's Architecture Design website

 

 A sincere thanks to Marios Kyriakou, research software engineer II at the KIOS CoE and a member of the KIOS Open Science Committee, for his interview and clarifications.