Through satellites and drones they will “see” the arbitrary 2024-07-12 16:30:18

As provided by a recent law of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, an online platform will be created by the Technical Chamber of Greece and the detection will be done using satellite images and drones, which will be able to receive rapid approvals for their flights from the competent bodies.

As TEE president Giorgos Stasinos explained to “Free Press”, “by the end of the year, all the necessary procedures will have been completed – such as passing the Auditing Conference, launching the tender, etc. in order to start implementing the platform at the beginning of 2025, which will be completed in 18 months”.

In particular, with modern technological means (satellites, drones, Artificial Intelligence, etc.), the system interface with the electronic permit issuance system (e-Adeies) and the complaint platform will advance the process of identifying and recording arbitrary construction.

In more detail, through these images and a special software, it will initially be revealed which buildings are being erected and which do not even have a building permit. If a building has a permit, it will be checked directly by a building inspector. If it has not, the system will automatically be activated and the case will be taken without delay to the relevant Building Service. Thus, new arbitrariness will be detected as they are generated by the system.

It should be noted that the legislation provides that from July 2011 onwards, no one can fix the arbitrarily erected and will have to either pay a maintenance fine or proceed with permanent demolition. By law, therefore, all buildings built following 2011 will be identified by aerial photographs and drones and either their owners will proceed with a regulation process to maintain them paying steep fines or they will proceed with voluntary demolition following consultation with the competent bodies.

It is reminded that for arbitrary category 1-4 buildings built before 2011 and their owners entered the regulation at that time, the regularization process through the Electronic Building Identity will “run” until March 2026.

The budget of the project that was included in the Recovery Fund amounts to 123,988,840 euros, of which 23,997,840 euros will be financed by the National part of the Public Investment Program.

What does the project include?

1. Supply of satellite images: From the entire Greek territory for the period 6/2011-12/2011 and production of reference digital orthophoto map for 100,000 sq. km
2. Production of a digital orthophoto map with an accuracy of up to 20 cm: From aerial photography with a manned aircraft and LIDAR, with a terrain resolution of 10 cm to cover 52,100 sq. km. of the country (excluding areas covered by other TEE projects) as a priority in areas with increased problems of arbitrary construction.
3. Creation of a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Surface Model (DSM): Digitization of approximately 2,020,000 buildings, calculation of coverage and total built-up area, characteristic base and top elevation of each building and structure, and creation of a 3D building registry. Integration of the data into the database and the Geographical Information System of the Unified Digital Map for combined processing with other data.
4. Development of an application for the “Single Digital Map”: To assess the existence of arbitrary construction and geographically locate the potentially arbitrary constructions nationwide, with a combination of spatial analysis, multi-criteria data processing and the use of machine learning and customized AI algorithms.
5. Spatial data processing and analysis: Building register, digitized and geocoded building permits, and urban planning status using the developed application, nationwide.
6. Creation of a Coordination Office: Includes the following services:

– Operation of an integrated information system for the control, identification, calculation and monitoring of arbitrary construction, either through the above controls or through an electronic complaint platform that will be implemented as part of the project.

– Provision of support services for the monitoring of unauthorized construction during the project implementation period and for a period of 8 years by experienced engineers, to ensure operational and organizational adequacy and integration of administrative procedures by the relevant state authorities.

– Installation and operation of UAV stations in critical areas for the purpose of frequent periodic photo-taking and planning of new selective flights (of the order of 450 square km per year), processing of new data and detection of new intruders.

THEODOROS SKYLAKAKIS, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT

“We give absolute priority to the demolition”

“With the inclusion of the project “Identification of unauthorized construction with modern technological means” in the Recovery and Resilience Fund, another decisive step is taken in the implementation of the important reform that we planned at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, in relation to the monitoring system of the built environment. Taking advantage of new technologies (drones, satellite images, aerial photographs, etc.), a central service of the ministry will identify the arbitrary constructions. As part of the reform, enshrined in state law last spring, the prioritization of demolitions is foreseen for the first time. We give absolute priority to the demolition of new arbitrary buildings, in order to zero out the creation of new arbitrary ones and thus put an end to practices of decades, which have been undermining the exercise of urban planning policy over time. At the same time, every year a significant number of older buildings will be selected for demolition according to urban planning, spatial planning and environmental criteria”, noted the Minister of Environment and Energy Theodoros Skylakakis.