CRITERION provides high resolution short-term and seasonal forecasts forUNESCO cultural heritage monuments in Greece. 

Sponsor	Project	Solution provider	User
			The Institute of SETE-INSETE Tourists, travellers and tourism sector stakeholders

Infrastructure & transport =>   Travel & tourism

Environmental, climate & health => Meteo & climate

The Institute of SETE-INSETE is a non-profit organisation founded in early 2013, on the initiative of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).The Institute’s aim is to contribute, through substantiated interventions, to the promotion of public and private policies for the reinforcement and enhancement of the Greek tourism sector, along with any other sector that is directly or indirectly associated with it.

The Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology of the AA (http://www.academyofathens.gr/en/research/centers/climate) is addressing both global and regional climate changes in different space and time scales. The Centre has established collaborations with many European Research Centers as well as Greek Institutions and Ministries. It focuses on climate and air quality processes at global and local scales through both observational analyses from satellite and surface platforms and climate modelling studies. Simulations are performed under varying scenarios of future greenhouse gas changes in order to facilitate the initialization of analyses related to mitigation and adaptation strategies. The scientists at the Centre have long been working in changes in ozone and climate change, as well as on the interdisciplinary interactions between ozone, climate and chemistry.

“The UNESCO weather website is very useful for our guests and generally for the touristic industry because it makes it very easy and convenient to check the weather forecast for the UNESCO sites”

Tourists, travellers and tourism sector stakeholders need information on the short-term and seasonal-climatic conditions for scheduling their vacations and business plans. CRITERION provides this information tailored to specific UNESCO cultural heritage monuments in Greece such as the Acropolis, Delos, Corfu, Meteora, Patmos, Delfi, Thessaloniki etc. The online platform provides an efficient way of browsing through the unique microclimate characteristics of each monument and supports the users to make decisions prior to their visit, making the touristic experience more special and convenient. 

• Increase in the number of user-oriented services. 
• In addition to the products planed the range of seasonal products for touristic industry with snow cover products for ski resorts.
• Specific co-design process carried; specifying collaboration procedures; if not available so far
• The tailored sub-seasonal and seasonal products are selected and co-designed together with the stakeholders of the pilots following their requirements and using their expertise and available auxiliary data in the designing process. 
• Based on co-design analysis (WP2) and WP3 initial assessment outcomes, identify and prepare for outsourcing part of the processing chain to a DIAS infrastructure

• The aim of the platform is to create an overall user-friendly platform and make the touristic experience more comfortable and exceptional. The service can be expanded to include more destinations in Greece based on user needs and requirements.
• Raise awareness of the stakeholders interested in the touristic and transport sector to adopt more sustainable ways and increase their climate resilience.
• Inform tourism stakeholders concerning current trends, future climatic conditions and their impacts to seasonal tourism and the alterations of touristic season adapted to climate change.

Learn more about the service: https://unesco-weather.gr/

Learn more about e-shape: www.e-shape.eu

A question? Contact the Helpdesk: https://helpdesk.e-shape.eu