Active satellite sensors for the needs of cultural heritage: introducing SAR applications in Cyprus through ATHENA project

Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2017, Vol. 19, EGU2017-11758Non-invasive landscape investigation for archaeological purposes includes a wide range of survey techniques, most of which include in-situ methods. In recent years, a major advance in the noninvasive surveying techniques has been the introduction of active remote sensing technologies. One of such technologies is spaceborne radar, known as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). SAR has proven to be a valuable tool in the analysis of potential archaeological marks and in the systematic cultural heritage site monitoring. With the use of SAR, it is possible to monitor slight variations in vegetation and soil often interpreted as archaeological signs, while radar sensors, depending on the sensor's frequency, have penetrating capabilities offering an insight into the shallow underground remains. Radar remote sensing for immovable cultural heritage and archaeological applications has been recently introduced in Cyprus through the currently ongoing ATHENA project. The project, which runs under the H2020-TWINN-20150Coordination & Support Actions, aims at building a bridge between research institutions of the low-performing Member States and internationally leading counterparts at EU level, mainly through training workshops and a series of knowledge transfer activities, frequently taking place on the basis of capacity development. The project is formed as the consortium of the Remote Sensing and Geo- Environment Research Laboratory of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). As part of the project, a number of cultural heritage sites in Cyprus have been studied testing different methodologies involving SAR imagery such as Amplitude Change Detection, Coherence Calculation and fusion techniques. ATHENA's prospective agenda includes the continuation of the capacity building programme with upcoming training workshops to take place while expanding the knowledge of radar applications on conservation and risk monitoring of cultural heritage sites through SAR Interferometry. The current paper presents some preliminary results from the archaeological site of "Nea Paphos", addressing the potential use of spaceborne radar technology

Earth Observation for Forestry Applications in Cyprus

This paper presents an overview of how space-based and earth observation techniques can be used for forestry applications in Cyprus. Indeed, an example of how the Department of Forests in Cyprus can further promote the importance of using remote sensing techniques in Cyprus. Examples are shown of how mapping of burned areas is performed using remote sensing data (Landsat ETM, Sentinel) as well of how post-fire management is implemented. Examples of the Solea fire event occurred in Cyprus is presented. Finally, remote sensing is also used for risk assessment study for developing fire hazard index. Ground spectro-radiometric measurements are also used in combination with remote sensing imagery and burned severity measures to develop a simple, fast, accurate and reliable methodology for the assessment of the burn severity levels on a forest fire scar in Cyprus forests. The need to develop a national observatory of forests using earth observation and GIS is highlighted

EXcellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region: the establishment of EO hub for data, products and services

The aim of this paper is to present our vision to upgrade the existing ERATOSTHENES Research Centre established within the Cyprus University of Technology into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR), which will provide the highest quality of related services on the National, European and International levels. One of the goals of 'EXCELSIOR' Teaming Horizon 2020 project is to strategically position the ERATOSTHENES CoE in Cyprus, the eastern Mediterranean and Europe as an efficient knowledge hub in the fields of Earth observation, remote sensing and space technology to provide data, products and services in the above areas. Examples of ERATOSTHENES research centre will further provide Earth observation-based monitoring services and products for natural disasters and environmental applications is shown

Strategic positioning of the ‘ERATOSTHENES Research Centre’ and exploration of new R&D opportunities in the fields of Earth Surveillance and Space-Based of the Environment

The aim of this paper is to present our strategy and vision to upgrade the existing ERATOSTHENES Research Centre (ERC), established within Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR), which will provide the highest quality of related services both on the National, European and International levels. The ‘EXCELSIOR’ project is a Horizon 2020 Teaming project, addressing the reduction of substantial disparities in the European Union by supporting research and innovation activities and systems in low performing countries. It also aims at establishing long-term and strategic partnerships between the Teaming partners, thus reducing internal research and innovation disparities within European Research and Innovation landscape. The ERCis already an established player in the local community and has excellent active collaboration with actors from various sectors in (a) the government, (b) industry, (c) local organisations, and (d) society. In order to further engage users and citizens and to become more attractive to international research and education community, the Centre aims to be fully involved in strategic positioning on the national level, but also in Europe, the Middle East region and internationally. Some examples of how space technologies are integrated with other tools or techniques such as UAV, field spectroscopy, micro-sensors, EO space/in-situ sensors etc. for the systematic monitoring of the environment is shown. Indeed such examples fulfills the objectives of the COPERNICUS academy network (in which ERC is a member) for empowering the next generation of researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs with suitable skill sets to use Copernicus data and information services to their full potential. Finally, opportunities for future collaboration and investments with the ERC in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are stated. Five partners have united to upgrade the existing ERC into a CoE, with the common vision to become a world-class innovation, research and education centre, actively contributing to the European Research Area (ERA). More specifically, the Teaming project is a team effort between the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT, acting as the coordinator), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), the German Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Cyprus’ Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (DEC-MTCW)

Monitoring of land degradation from overgrazing using space-borne radar and optical imagery: A case study in Randi Forest, Cyprus

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, Volume 10005, 2016, Article number 1000516© 2016 SPIE. This paper examines how radar and optical imagery combined can be employed for the study of land degradation. A case study was conducted in the Randi Forest, Cyprus, a known overgrazed area for the past 70 years. Satellite optical imagery was used for the calculation of the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the time period between December 2015 to July 2016 and C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery was used to derive correlative changes in backscatter intensity (σ0). The results are indicative of the overgrazing in the area with the temporal and spatial variations of grazing defined. Both the NDVI and the σ0 values demonstrate sudden shifts in vegetation cover following the start of the grazing period with the greatest shifts being evident in close proximity to the location of farms. NDVI and backscatter coefficient correlation was measured at 0.7 and 0.8 for the months of February and April respectively. Shifts in NDVI value by 0.1 correspond to a shift in σ0 by 4 db. VH cross-polarization showed greater sensitivity to changes in vegetation than VV. The paper also examines the capability of C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar to measure changes in plant structure and vegetation fraction as the result of grazing. Depending on grazing intensity, backscatter coefficient varies according to vegetation density

Using field spectroscopy combined with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technique for detecting underground structures for defense and security applications in Cyprus

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2017, Volume 10182, Article number 1018206This paper aims to investigate different methods for the detection of underground concrete structures using as a case study an area of abandoned military bunkers. Underground structures can affect their surrounding landscapes in different ways, such as alter the moisture capacity of soil, its composition and the vegetation vigor. The latter is often observed on the ground as a crop mark; a phenomenon which can be used as a proxy to denote the presence of underground nonvisible structures. A number of vegetation indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Simple Ratio (SR) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) were utilized for the development of a vegetation index-based procedure aiming at the detection of underground military structures by using existing vegetation indices or other in-band algorithms. One of the techniques examined is that of the C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which provide information on the vegetation height based on the analysis of the difference between areas of buried structures and reference areas

Copernicus and Cultural Heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean under the 'ATHENA' Project

Copernicus European Union Programme aiming at developing European information services based on satellite Earth Observation and in situ (non-space) data, is coordinated and managed by the European Commission. Several Copernicus services are currently provided from the Sentinel satellites and other supporting missions. Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 can provide systematic radar and optical data worldwide with a high temporal resolution. This paper focuses on the potential use of these sensors for Cultural Heritage applications, providing in this way valuable information to stakeholders and other end-users as well as the archaeological community. Examples include the exploitation of the satellite products for the detection of damaged archaeological sites in the cities of Palmyra and Nimrud. CH sites in Syria and Iraq, as well as to examine potential soil marks in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of' Nea Paphos" in Cyprus. Looting marks have been based on supporting WorldView-2 products, are also presented. The overall results, expose the potentialities of Earth Observation data and the promising use of the Copernicus Programme as a European service for World Heritage applications. This study was carried out under the H2020 ATHENA project

Exploring the Importance of Monitoring the Fire Risk Index in the vicinity of Cultural Heritage Sites in Cyprus using Sentinel Remote Sensing data

In June 2016, a wild re outbreak in the region of Solea, district of Nicosia, Cyprus, resulted in the total loss of 18.5 km2 of vegetated area. The area accommodates a number of cultural heritage sites, amongst them sites included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Monuments such as the Churches of "Panagia tis Asinou", in Nikitari and "Panagia tis Podithou" in Galata. The incident proved to be a turning point in the reconsideration of the signi cance of monitoring the risk posed by re on Cultural Heritage sites. Earth Observation and Remote Sensing techniques provide an e cient and cost e ective way of estimating the parameters behind wild re outbreaks. With the introduction of the Copernicus Sentinel satellite constellation, the extent to which these parameters can be studied is further enabled with short revisit times and higher resolution sensors. The current study aims to explore the estimation of the likelihood of a re outbreak in the vicinity of candidate Cultural Heritage sites in Cyprus with the use of Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) imagery. A number of causative agents such as the class and density of vegetation were derived from Sentinel-2 imagery through the estimation of spectral indices coupled with ancillary topographic information such as elevation, slope and aspect derived from a Digital Terrain Model (DTM). A weighted formula for multicriteria analysis was constructed based on the signi cance of each factor in re outbreak. Based on the analysis, a map for each of the candidate sites was created with assigned likelihood of re which was then validated against an archive data pool of past re incidences

The protection of cultural heritage sites from geo-hazards: The PROTHEGO project

Examining natural hazards responsible for cultural heritage damages all over Europe, especially over large or remote areas is extremely difficult, expensive and time consuming. There is a need identify and respond to natural hazards before they create irreparable damage to cultural heritage sites. The PROTHEGO project uses radar interferometry to monitor surface deformation with mm precision to analyze the impact of geo-hazards in cultural heritage sites in Europe. The project applies novel InSAR techniques to monitor monuments and sites that are potentially unstable due to landslides, sinkholes, settlement, subsidence, active tectonics as well as structural deformation, all of which could be affected of climate change and human interaction. To magnify the impact of the project, the approach will be implemented in more than 400 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) in geographical Europe. After the remote sensing investigation, detailed geological interpretation, hazard analysis, localscale monitoring, advanced modelling and field surveying for the most critical sites will be carried out to discover the cause and extent of the observed motions. PROTHEGO (PROTection of European Cultural HEritage from GeO-hazards) is a collaborative research project funded in the framework of the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPICH) – Heritage Plus in 2015–2018

The protection of cultural heritage sites from geo-hazards: The PROTHEGO project

Examining natural hazards responsible for cultural heritage damages all over Europe, especially over large or remote areas is extremely difficult, expensive and time consuming. There is a need identify and respond to natural hazards before they create irreparable damage to cultural heritage sites. The PROTHEGO project uses radar interferometry to monitor surface deformation with mm precision to analyze the impact of geo-hazards in cultural heritage sites in Europe. The project applies novel InSAR techniques to monitor monuments and sites that are potentially unstable due to landslides, sinkholes, settlement, subsidence, active tectonics as well as structural deformation, all of which could be affected of climate change and human interaction. To magnify the impact of the project, the approach will be implemented in more than 400 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) in geographical Europe. After the remote sensing investigation, detailed geological interpretation, hazard analysis, localscale monitoring, advanced modelling and field surveying for the most critical sites will be carried out to discover the cause and extent of the observed motions. PROTHEGO (PROTection of European Cultural HEritage from GeO-hazards) is a collaborative research project funded in the framework of the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPICH) â Heritage Plus in 2015â2018