Design of a Hybrid (Wired/Wireless) Acquisition Data System for Monitoring of Cultural Heritage Physical Parameters in Smart Cities

Preventive conservation represents a working method and combination of techniques which helps in determining and controlling the deterioration process of cultural heritage in order to take the necessary actions before it occurs. It is acknowledged as important, both in terms of preserving and also reducing the cost of future conservation measures. Therefore, long-term monitoring of physical parameters influencing cultural heritage is necessary. In the context of Smart Cities, monitoring of cultural heritage is of interest in order to perform future comparative studies and load information into the cloud that will be useful for the conservation of other heritage sites. In this paper the development of an economical and appropriate acquisition data system combining wired and wireless communication, as well as third party hardware for increased versatility, is presented. The device allows monitoring a complex network of points with high sampling frequency, with wired sensors in a 1-wire bus and a wireless centralized system recording data for monitoring of physical parameters, as well as the future possibility of attaching an alarm system or sending data over the Internet. This has been possible with the development of three board's designs and more than 5000 algorithm lines. System tests have shown an adequate system operation.The authors acknowledge the collaboration of Rosa Maria Rodriguez y Belen Villanueva, superior and management technicians of Blasco Ibanez Museum-House respectively. This work was partially supported by the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad) under projects HAR2013-47895-C2-1-P and HAR2013-47895-C2-2-P.García Diego, FJ.; Esteban, B.; Merello Giménez, P. (2015). Design of a Hybrid (Wired/Wireless) Acquisition Data System for Monitoring of Cultural Heritage Physical Parameters in Smart Cities. Sensors. 15(4):7246-7266. doi:10.3390/s150407246S7246726615

Development of reversible intelligent prosthesis for the conservation of sculptures. A case study

[EN] The application of preventive conservation measures after restoration processes is a sustainable method to control and mitigate possible deterioration and damage to Cultural Heritage. Preservation requires monitoring physical parameters that influence the monument. This document presents the development of a versatile hybrid system based on a 3D printed prosthesis implanted with sensors to collect relevant environmental data. This novel system has been applied to a work of relevance, the Stone Sepulcher of Queen Mary of Castile, located in the Royal Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Valencia (Spain). The development of such an intelligent prosthesis aims to improve the conservation of a work of art. The system presented here is completely reversible, leaving any trace on the sculpture where it was inserted after removal. This intelligent prosthesis can monitor the environmental conditions and send them to a remote server in the cloud. The results have demonstrated the viability and suitability of the procedure and present an innovative solution applicable to other pieces of Cultural Heritage.Niquet, N.; Sánchez López, M.; Mas-Barberà, X. (2020). Development of reversible intelligent prosthesis for the conservation of sculptures. A case study. Journal of Cultural Heritage. 43:227-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2019.12.0102272344

Intelligent Municipal Heritage Management Service in a Smart City: Telecommunication Traffic Characterizationand Quality of Service

[EN] The monitoring of cultural heritage is becoming common in cities to provide heritage preservation and prevent vandalism. Using sensors and video cameras for this task implies the need to transmit information. In this paper, the teletraffic that cameras and sensors generate is characterized and the transmissions¿ influence on the municipal communications network is evaluated. Then, we propose models for telecommunication traffic sources in an intelligent municipal heritage management service inside a smart sustainable city. The sources were simulated in a smart city scenario to find the proper quality of service (QoS) parameters for the communication network, using Valencia City as background. Specific sensors for intelligent municipal heritage management were selected and four telecommunication traffic sources were modelled according to real-life requirements and sensors datasheet. Different simulations were performed to find the proper CIR (Committed Information Rate) and PIR (Peak Information Rate) values and to study the effects of limited bandwidth networks. Packet loss, throughput, delay, and jitter were used to evaluate the network¿s performance. Consequently, the result was the selection of the minimum values for PIR and CIR that ensured QoS and thus optimized the traffic telecommunication costs associated with an intelligent municipal heritage management service.This work was partially supported by Spanish Government Projects TIN2013-47272-C2-1-R and TEC2015-71932-REDTRodríguez-Hernández, MA.; Jiang, Z.; Gomez-Sacristan, Á.; Pla, V. (2019). Intelligent Municipal Heritage Management Service in a Smart City: Telecommunication Traffic Characterizationand Quality of Service. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (Online). 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8412542S11

Monitoring Heritage Buildings with Open Source Hardware Sensors: A Case Study of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba

A number of physical factors can adversely affect cultural heritage. Therefore, monitoring parameters involved in the deterioration process, principally temperature and relative humidity, is useful for preventive conservation. In this study, a total of 15 microclimate stations using open source hardware were developed and stationed at the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, which is registered with UNESCO for its outstanding universal value, to assess the behavior of interior temperature and relative humidity in relation to exterior weather conditions, public hours and interior design. Long-term monitoring of these parameters is of interest in terms of preservation and reducing the costs of future conservation strategies. Results from monitoring are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of this system

Non-destructive Techniques Methodologies for the Detection of Ancient Structures under Heritage Buildings

[EN] Structures and elements buried beneath heritage buildings are frequent but are often unknown and inaccessible. Therefore, they are difficult to locate in general if an archaeological excavation is not carried out, with the economic cost and time involved. It is important to discover them in order to increase our knowledge of cultural heritage, as well as to know, recover and improve the state of conservation of the materials that make up these structures. This paper presents methodologies for locating old structures using a low-cost NDT approach, with a qualitative and quantitative analysis of GPR profiles in heritage buildings. Small perforations are performed at critical points and introducing an endoscope for verification. Various crypts have been located using the proposed methodologies in a real study case: The Church of the Asución of Llíria in Spain.Gil Benso, E.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Torner, ME.; Vercher Sanchis, J. (2021). Non-destructive Techniques Methodologies for the Detection of Ancient Structures under Heritage Buildings. International journal of architectural heritage (electronic). 15(10):1457-1473. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2019.1700320S14571473151

Multivariate characterization of temperature fluctuations in a historical building using energy-efficient IoT wireless sensors

[EN] Adequate thermic conditions are required for the preventive conservation of artworks, but such optimum conditions cannot always be achieved in historical buildings such as ancient churches. In those cases, it is of interest to assess the potential risk of punctual changes in indoor environments that can be harmful to artworks. These conditions can be assessed by means of a microclimate monitoring system comprised of a set of energy¿efficient wireless sensors connected to the cloud using IoT techniques. This approach was followed at the baroque church of Saint Thomas and Saint Philip Neri in Valencia (Spain). A set of 26 wireless nodes was installed, which recorded values of temperature and relative humidity every hour for a period of 7 months. Small differences of temperature were obtained among sensors, so that an efficient methodology based on principal component analysis (PCA) was applied for the characterization of similarities and dissimilarities between sensors. Daily ranges of temperatures were studied as well as mean trajectories, differences between days of the week, and changes in the correlation structure of daily median values over time. Results provide a framework for an efficient characterization of temperatures in heritage buildings based on a network of wireless sensors. Such a framework is useful to assess the potential risk of temperature fluctuations on the preventive conservation of historical buildings and artworks.Funding This research was funded by the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 814624.Zarzo Castelló, M.; Perles, A.; Mercado Romero, R.; García Diego, FJ. (2021). Multivariate characterization of temperature fluctuations in a historical building using energy-efficient IoT wireless sensors. Sensors. 21(23):1-32. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21237795S132212

Development of a new device for the measurement and modeling of an innovative risk index for cultural heritage application

The monitoring, as a function of time, of environmental parameters in cultural heritage is essential to preserve materials, to recognize the reasons of degradation and to evaluate their effects. The degrading effects of objects in cultural heritage field, can be classified in optical, morphological, physical-chemical/mechanical and alterations and depend by micro-climatic conditions. For this reason, in recent years, several solutions have been developed and commercialized for environmental monitoring, some compatible with general advice and others OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing). However, the trend of application between compliant and non-ISO-compliant devices has not yet been sufficiently analyzed. In this first section, we show how in the last ten years researchers have shifted their attention to custom-made devices based on new generation sensors despite the expense of units ISO certified. The study based on a review of scientific articles has shown that: with the increase of low-cost and open-source technologies applied in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and in particular in the cultural heritage, led to a research advancement in the field, but, at the same time, increased non-homogeneity of the methods, impinging comparability of results. In recent years the trend is to use low-cost automatic wireless systems. This innovation, however, opens new scenarios and challenges on how to improve their stability, longevity, and sensitivity; reduce maintenance (battery replacement, including calibration or sensors); improve data analysis/management/display costs. In particular, it has highlighted the current difficulty of low-cost detectors to satisfy the robustness and reliability of regulatory and conventional stationary monitors at the expense of the periods and aesthetics. We have therefore paid particular attention to the sensitivity and reliability of the innovative solutions presented to overcome the traditional limitations, as well as to the real feasibility of solutions regarding sustainability, adaptability to the works of art or price. We also see the need for more communication between the scientific community and the decision-makers, who have only recently opened up to this paradigm. We highlighted the need to identify recurrent or innovative topics in the various documents concerning the approaches to preventive conservation, the preservation of damage and environmental management. After a review of state of the art regarding the different sampling device applied in cultural heritage and a survey of the parameters that involve a degradation effect on the materials, in this section, we focus our attention on a sensors-based prototype able to detect: (i) temperature and relative humidity; (ii) NO, NO2 and SO2; (iii) vibrations. In particular, this section describes the design and the validation of the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) propose3, named WENDY, an acronym for Wireless Environmental moNitoring Device prototYpe. WENDY, built on a microcontroller of ATmega328P series, gathers signals from a sensor for temperature and relative humidity; a 9-axis MIMU; and three gas detection miniature boards (NO, NO2 and SO2). Complete the board a connector for memory card (SD) and an RTC. Additionally, a module based on the ZigBee standard could be used to transmit all data. In this section, precisely, we present the performances of the WSN node in detecting: structure tilt, vibrations and the daily cycle of humidity, temperature and gas deposition. The experimental setup used to evaluate the accuracy of MIMU system highlighted a relative error on shock acceleration measurement, in term of normalized root mean square error, lower than 0.1 % for the sinusoidal input and 0.51 % for cardinal sin input, with an average accuracy in the principal peak reconstruction of 1 % in the chosen frequency range (5 Hz to 50 Hz). The MIMU accuracy for tilt measurement, evaluated through the root mean square error was equal to 0.3° and a standard deviation always lower than 0.4° in the 0-90° tilt range. The gas detection and temperature/ humidity boards showed data comparable with the nearby certified ARPA system device. The aim of the applicative section is monitoring effects of different factors which affect the “Minerva Medica Temple,” an archeological site in Rome. In particular, we focus on: (i) the seasonal thermal variations on the structure; (ii) the contamination due to by local traffic regarding gaseous pollutant and (iii) the dynamic response of the structure to a tramway line located in Rome and called “Roma- Giardinetti.” The developed system allows for prioritization of intervention both for management and interventions planning, regarding restoration, consolidation, and conservation. Moreover, the software structure of the environmental monitoring device is presented and expounded in detail.4 Always in this section, an innovative procedure for the evaluation of the environmental hazard in cultural heritage is proposed. This risk assessment can be considered as a “relative risk assessment methodology.” In particular, it considers the impacts of microclimatic conditions on the monument, based on the international norms and the current scientific knowledge. For measurement campaigns with WENDY, the risk method proposed is applied to the results of two measurement campaigns carried out between 2017 and 2018 over two different periods (September-December and March-July), at “Minerva Medica Temple,” in Rome

Tecnología open-hardware para la parametrización ambiental en aplicaciones de Ingeniería

El desarrollo del open-hardware ha proporcionado una nueva herramienta para mejorar el sistema de monitorización de otros sistemas. En la actualidad la sociedad está inmersa en una implementación de sistemas capaces de proporcionar una gran cantidad de datos del entorno, los cuales nos ayudan al estudio y entendimiento de este. En esta tesis doctoral se estudia la capacidad de estas plataformas libres en tres campos como son el Agronómico , Conservación Cultural e Industrial. Se ha procedido a una comprobación y una validación posterior en cada uno de los campos anteriormente citados. Los resultados obtenidos han sido positivos, siendo similares a los obtenidos por equipos comerciales. Esto nos lleva a la conclusión de que estas nuevas plataformas son el futuro, no sólo por su menor precio, sino por su gran capacidad de modificación y adaptación que las plataformas comerciales cerradas no permiten.The development of open hardware has provided new tool to improve system to monitor other system. Nowadays the society is immersed in an implementation of systems provide a large amount of data of the environment, which help us to study and understand it. This doctoral thesis studies the capacity of these free platforms in three differents scenarios as Agronomic, Cultural Heritage and Industrial. A pre-selection of the components and a subsequent verification and validation has been carried out in each of the aforementioned fields. The result obtained have been positives, being similar to those obtained by commercial equipment. This leads us to the conclusion that these new platforms are the future, not only for its lower price, but for its great capacity of modification and adaptation that the closed commercial platforms do not allow