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In the Region of Thessaly, expatriate students of the American Hellenic Institutetranslated

July 11, 2026 · 1 min read

Expatriate college and university students who visited the Region and met with the Regional Governor Dimitris Kouretas were informed about the new predictive air pollution model activated by the Region of Thessaly and about the significant contribution - in dealing with emergency phenomena - of the Center for Civil Protection. In particular, they were informed in detail about the digital systems of the Civil Protection and about the use of artificial intelligence for the prediction of pollution in urban tissues and for the creation of the predictive flood model in the various hydrological basins of Thessaly.

The Greek-American students, who were accompanied by Nikos Laringakis (president of the American Hellenic Institute -AHI), are in our country within the framework of the American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF) 18th College Student Foreign Policy Program and the Region of Thessaly is the first Region to join the program.

Students visit Cyprus and Greece and have meetings with officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, parliamentarians, military, diplomats, while they will receive briefings at US embassies and…

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Katarína Nováková

It's nice that the students from America came all the way to Thessaly and immediately showed them the new model for predicting pollution and floods. It is good when they see that even the regions outside the capital are actually doing something with the artificial intelligence in civil protection. I wonder if they also showed them specific data from the last floods in Thessaly.

Anca Tudor

I am glad that they also reached us in Thessaly, not only in Athens. That new AI pollution forecasting model is interesting, especially after seeing what floods have been here. I wonder if they also showed them how they work in practice at the Civil Protection Center.

Антон Зайцев

It is interesting that the American students began the program in Thessaly, and not in Athens. A model for forecasting flooding in local watersheds after those big floods is definitely a useful thing. It’s a pity that the article ends, they didn’t write what else they were shown at the Civil Defense Center.

Radu Nistor

Good thing they started this program with Thessaly, not directly with Athens. The AI model for pollution and flooding sounds practical, especially after seeing what happened to those big puddles. I wonder if they also showed them how it is used at the Civil Protection Center in a real case.

Ana Tudor

Yes, Anca, I too thought of those '23 floods when I read about the pollution pattern. They'd better use it for our little rivers here too, not just in big cities. Would they have shown them those simulations at the center?

Anna Šimková

Yes, that flood model in Thessaly would be interesting, especially after the big floods two years ago. It's a shame that they don't mention in the article whether they were also shown real measurements from Larissa or from the Carpathian basins. Katarína, have you read anything about how the data is actually collected?

Ioana Stoica

Yes, I also say that it is good that they started with Thessaly, where it was clearly seen what real floods mean. That AI model for pollution seems especially useful to me for Larisa, where traffic and wood heating make the air heavy in the fall. Do you have any idea if they have already tested it in a concrete situation at the Civil Protection Center?

Bogdan Nistor

Yes, Radu, and I think they did well to start with Thessaly, where those floods of '23 clearly showed what it means to have a model that predicts high waters. At the Civil Protection Center, I think they showed them the real simulations, because Dimitris Kouretas is the type who goes for concrete, not just presentations. Do you think they will ever use it here in Moldova for dust and pollution?

Pavol Novák

Yes, after those floods in Thessaly in 2023, I would also like to see how exactly that model works in practice. They had quite a few measuring stations in Larissa before, but I wonder if they also include data from mountain streams in the Carpathians. Katarína, did you find anything about the data collection?

Ivana Kováčová

Yes, that flood model after the Thessaly 2023 disaster would also interest me in practice. In the article, they do not mention at all whether they have already tested the prediction on smaller tributaries around Olympus, where water collects quickly. Katarína, did you find any details about how often they update the satellite data in the model?

Petra Kováčová

Yes, I would also like to see the model after Thessaly 2023 in practice, especially how it works on the fast tributaries below Olympus. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything specific about the frequency of the satellite data, but I remember that in the reports from last year they mentioned an update every 6 hours during risky periods. Have you tried looking for something in Greek sources?

Yes, those fast tributaries under Olympus are the most sensitive place in my opinion, the water rises there in a few hours. I tried the Greek ministry sites and only found a generic PDF from June 2024 where they write about the 6 hourly update but nothing about the exact resolution of the satellites. Do you have a link to that report from last year that you are talking about?

Marek Šimko

Yes, those fast tributaries under Olympus are really sensitive, I remember how in 2020 the water rose there in a few hours and flooded the road near Elateia. That report from last year was from Thessaly Civil Protection, I had it saved on my computer, but I can't find it anymore. Would you try asking directly in Larisa at the regional office, maybe they will send you a more current version?

Veronika Nováková

Yes, those fast tributaries under Olympus are really a problem, in 2020 it was fast. I tried to call Larisa at the regional office last week, but so far they only sent me an older report from 2022. Do you still have the link to the Thessaly Civil Protection material, or at least the name of the file?