Since 2009, the Department of Archaeology and History of Art of the University of Athens is collaborating with the 5th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities for the Surface Survey programme in the broader area of Neapolis and Elafonissos, at Lakonia. The objective of the programme is to sytematically and thoroughly document archaeological data and locate sites dating from various ages of antiquity.

Numerous professors, lecturers and doctoral students from the Department of Archaeology and history of Art of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens take part, as well as many postgraduate students, who train in the surface survey method. This program also includes the designing of maps that show the distribution of arcahaeological sites and are submitted to the local Ephorate. The programme is partially funded by the Latsis Foundation