Cyprus has no shortage of economic data. From GDP to inflation and employment figures, the numbers are there. However, until recently, they were trapped in static spreadsheets, limiting their potential for public use and policy impact. The Dynamic Data Visualization Platform, developed by CYENS Centre of Excellence in collaboration with the Fiscal Council of Cyprus, is designed to change that. Drawing directly from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat), the platform turns complex economic indicators into clear, interactive visuals.
But this isn’t just a “glow-up” moment. The system is connected to Cystat through live APIs, ensuring that charts and graphs update automatically as new data becomes available. There is no need to download spreadsheets, manage outdated files, or hunt for the latest figures. Instead, users can explore clean, customizable dashboards that support filtering, comparison, and trend analysis over time.
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Built with real-world users in mind -whether policymakers, journalists, analysts, or the general public, the platform brings macroeconomic transparency and efficiency into the digital age.
From MoU to Platform in Under Eight Months
The Dynamic Data Visualization Platform came together on a tight timeline. After the Fiscal Council of Cyprus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the CYENS Centre of Excellence in October 2024, development began swiftly. By March 2025, the platform was complete; it was officially delivered in early June.
Led by Dr. Marina Toumpouri, the Manager of the Software Development Team, with the initial groundwork laid by the previous Project Manager, Kyriakos Larmos, the team, composed of developers Andreas Sokratous, Marios Pafitis, and UI/UX designer Tereza Kourra, began with a comprehensive requirements analysis to ensure the platform met real institutional needs. From left to right in the cover photo: Marios Pafitis, Dr. Marina Toumpouri, Andreas Sokratous, and Tereza Kourra.
“We did not just build a platform, we had in mind to provide a tool and solution appropriate for the relevant audience, and generally for whoever would like to use it.”
Dr. Toumpouri explained.
The result is a visual infrastructure designed to support open access to fiscal data and empower evidence-based policymaking through advanced tools. Built in close collaboration with the Fiscal Council of Cyprus, the platform translates dense statistical reporting into a clean, responsive interface that lets users explore and compare data over time, without needing technical skills or sifting through raw files.
As a complementary initiative, CYENS also implemented a visualization module as part of the I-Nicosia smart city platform. This side project was designed to explore how localized, real-time statistics, such as monthly unemployment rates, can be embedded into urban dashboards aimed at citizens. Although independent of the Fiscal Council’s tool, the I-Nicosia visualizer draws from the same live CyStat API. The prototype serves both as a testbed for other similar applications and as a demonstration of how public data can be repurposed for civic engagement. The aim was not just transparency, but also accessibility; providing Cypriots with direct insight into the socio-economic indicators that shape their daily lives.
Why the Fiscal Council’s Platform Matters for Cyprus
Cyprus holds decades of economic and social data, including indicators dating back to the 1960s and the pivotal period surrounding the 1974 Turkish invasion. Although this information has long been publicly available, it was typically buried in static reports, which are difficult to interpret, compare, or apply without considerable manual effort.
“The Republic of Cyprus holds valuable data, including from historically significant periods such as the 1974 invasion. Visualizing how economic indicators like unemployment evolve over months and years provides a much clearer and more complete picture.”
said Dr. Marina Toumpouri.
The platform enables users to track how key metrics have fluctuated over time and across policy contexts. It gives researchers, planners, and analysts a clearer view of long-term trends, using live, up-to-date visuals pulled directly from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat).
“It’s not just for economists,” Toumpouri added. “It’s also a valuable resource for historians, social scientists, and a broad range of professionals who can now access and apply this information in their work, whether for reporting, analysis, or planning.”
Challenges Behind the Build
Delivering the platform in just a few months posed both technical and institutional challenges. The datasets were complex and unfamiliar, demanding not just development skills but a fast learning curve on how to represent economic information clearly and accurately.
“Our developers had to work with quite complex data,” said Dr. Marina Toumpouri. “They also developed new skills along the way, like deciding how many indices to display together, how to handle comparisons, and how to optimize visualizations that would make sense.”
As CYENS’s Software Development Team does not include economists or financial experts, they worked in close collaboration with the Fiscal Council’s staff to ensure the visualizations were grounded in sound economic reasoning. “We had excellent collaborators,” Dr. Toumpouri noted. “They really helped guide the content side of what we were building.”
The pace of delivery was remarkably fast for a public-sector initiative. “Our goal is to work at the rhythm of industry even though we are a Centre of Excellence; to deliver efficiently without compromising quality,” said Dr. Toumpouri.
The platform stands as a clear example of the high-impact and cost-effective digital services that CYENS is capable of delivering to both governmental entities and enterprises. It showcases how locally-driven innovation can meet international standards, offering smart, scalable solutions for Cyprus’s evolving digital needs.
What’s Next for the Platform
Although the platform is already live, development will continue with a second phase, which is currently in the planning and design stage. This will include the implementation of new technologies and expanded reporting capabilities.
“We are planning to expand the collaboration with the Fiscal Council,” said Dr. Marina Toumpouri. “It was an excellent partnership. We are also exploring new technologies for delivering data, such as leveraging AI. But I can’t say more yet. We are still at the design level.”
The next version is expected within the next two years. “You should expect the second phase to come—I’m not sure if it will kick off in 2025, but for sure in 2026,” she added.
The platform has also been built with adaptability in mind. Though it was developed specifically for Cyprus, its architecture allows for integration with other datasets, including European-level data, with the right modifications. It’s a modular, expandable foundation for institutions looking to visualise large-scale, constantly evolving public information.
“While data visualization platforms are well established internationally, this is a pioneering step for Cyprus, especially within the public sector. It’s something innovative and, for our context, truly groundbreaking.”
Dr. Toumpouri explained.
Whether for policy development, academic research, or strategic analysis, the Fiscal Council’s Dynamic Data Visualization Platform offers a new model of access to Cyprus’s economic data; immediate, transparent, and purpose-built for practical application. It is already reshaping how fiscal information is managed and interpreted at the national level. The pressing question now is: who will leverage its potential next?
