ACTYS (“Advanced spectro-bathymetric mapping of shallow seafloor using UAV imagery and deep learning techniques”) is a collaborative project between two top FORTH Institutes, the Institute of Mediterranean Studies (IMS) and the Institute of Computer Science (ICS), funded by the FORTH Synergy Grant. The goal of the project is to develop an integrated methodology for shallow bathymetry retrieval and detailed mapping of coastal benthic cover of the Cretan shoreline, the transparent waters of which are welcoming for studies with optical imagery. The project’s innovation is based on the combination of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned surface vehicles (USV) for seafloor mapping. The researchers will collect multi-temporal, multi-spectral imagery with a UAV while they will deploy the USV for gathering reference bathymetry measurements. Following, they will apply state-of-the-art image analysis, neural networks and machine learning techniques for training a system for automated, high resolution 3D reconstruction of coastal seafloor.  The ultimate goal of the project is to apply this methodology for effective tackling of real-world problems, such as conservation of benthic biodiversity and risk assessment related to rapid coastal change. The duration of the project is 2 years and the funding resulted from a successful proposal submitted to the FORTH Synergy Grants call. The ACTYS project ranked 1st in the proposal evaluation.