Summary:

Cultural heritage is endangered by different environmental and human hazards such as uncontrolled urban activities, fire, earthquakes, air pollution agents, erosion, landslide, flood processes e.t.c. On site observation is the most common way of monitoring Cultural Heritage (CH) Sites and Monuments in Cyprus. However, this procedure which includes data collection, periodical observations, and multivariate risk assessment analysis, is difficult to be accomplished with the traditional practices and methods since it is time consuming and expensive. Further¬more, many archaeological sites and monuments are located at inaccessible areas, far away from the main road network and urban areas. The local legislation regarding the protection of CH sites needs to be further expanded and revised in order to overcome these problems and to be easily applicable with low cost by the local authorities and public departments of Cyprus. The general objective of this project includes the development of a new methodology and framework for monitoring Cultural Heritage Sites and Monuments of a wider area than in the case of site observation, in which the coverage is limited using new innovative technologies (satellite images, LIDAR sensor, GIS, sun-photometers etc). Such methodology can be integrated into the Department of Antiquities, municipalities’ etc decision-making process, so that preventative measures could be taken to reduce risk. Furthermore the proposal promotes sustainable development and protects CH.

Consortium:

• CYPRUS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Coordinator: D.G.Hadjimitsis)
• FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY, HELLAS
• KYKKOS MUSEUM
• PAPHOS MUNICIPALITY

Website: cyprusremotesensing.com/riska