Faculty members and students from the Department of Computer Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) achieved a significant international success by presenting three separate scientific studies at the 50th IEEE Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC 2026). Hosted by the Technical University of Madrid, the conference took place in Madrid, Spain, from 7 to 15 July 2026. The studies presented at the conference highlighted innovative applications of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies across a range of fields.
Smart Classification in Municipal Services through Artificial Intelligence
The first study, titled “Machine Learning-Based Classification of Turkish Municipal Complaint and Request Records,” focuses on the development of an artificial intelligence-based system designed to enable the faster, more accurate, and more efficient routing of citizens’ complaints and service requests to the relevant municipal departments. Developed in collaboration with Famagusta Municipality, the project was carried out by Prof. Dr. Yıltan Bitirim, Prof. Dr. Duygu Çelik Ertuğrul, Prof. Dr. Önsen Toygar, and their students Akay Alptuğ, Necati Kırgız, Mert Suat Muti, and Kadir Can Coşkun from EMU Department of Computer Engineering. The system automatically classifies applications submitted across a wide range of municipal service areas, including sanitation, water supply, sewerage, public health, parks and gardens, municipal police services, and zoning and public works. Based on real municipal records, the research is expected to shorten request-processing times, reduce the workload of municipal departments, and contribute to the delivery of more efficient public services.
Smart Attendance System Developed
The second study presented at the conference, titled “Smart Student Attendance System with Face Recognition,” aims to automate classroom attendance by utilizing advanced artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and liveness detection technologies to identify students and record their attendance automatically. Capable of recognizing multiple students simultaneously, the system addresses common challenges associated with traditional attendance methods, including time-consuming manual procedures, human error, and proxy attendance. Initial trials conducted in real classroom environments have produced promising results. The system is expected to reduce the administrative workload of academic staff, enable more efficient use of class time, and improve the accuracy and reliability of attendance records. The project was developed by Prof. Dr. Yıltan Bitirim, Prof. Dr. Önsen Toygar, Prof. Dr. Duygu Çelik Ertuğrul, and their students Anıl Türk, Osman Ata Nurçin, Tuncay Sultanzade, and Erol Efe Karaköse from EMU Department of Computer Engineering.
Innovative Contribution to the Tourism Industry
EMU’s third study presented at the conference showcased a successful example of interdisciplinary collaboration. Conducted jointly by Prof. Dr. Ali Öztüren, EMU Vice Rector for Promotion and Institutional Communication and faculty member of the Faculty of Tourism; Ayçin Giritli, a PhD student in the Tourism Management program at the Faculty of Tourism; and Salahi Erensel, a master’s student in the Faculty of Engineering’s Software Engineering program, the study, titled “Evaluating the Performance of Large Language Models in Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis: Cyprus Hotel Reviews,” analyzed a total of 56,790 customer reviews from 30 hotels across Northern and Southern Cyprus using large language models. As part of the research, guest reviews were examined in detail across a range of aspects, including location, food, service, cleanliness, rooms, facilities, value for money, and atmosphere. Achieving 91% agreement with human evaluations, the system is expected to help hotel managers better understand guest expectations, enhance service quality, and make more informed decisions within the tourism industry.
