Modelli predittivi per un'archeologia preventiva operativa: note metodologiche e applicazioni

Il presente lavoro, nell'ambito della tematica Analisi avanzate archeologico e del paesaggio, mostra un insieme di tecniche utilizzate e casi di studio seguiti, relativi allo sviluppo di alcuni modelli applicati in ambiti territoriali diversi e con finalità diverse. Più nello specifico tali esempi riguardano lo studio di dinamiche insediative nel bacino idrografico del rio Grande di Nazca, lospaziale applicate a scala regionale ed infine la costruzione di un nel Tavoliere

Immagini satellitari ad alta risoluzione e ricerca archeologica: applicazioni e casi di studio con riprese pancromatiche e multispettrali di QuickBird

The paper concerns the research activities of the IBAM-CNR and the IMAA-CNR in the field of archaeological remote sensing with the use of very high resolution images of QuickBird, the satellite with the greatest geometrical resolution available for civil use. These images have an enormous potential in the study of ancient urban and territorial contexts and for the identification and spatial characterization of archaeological sites, particularly when aerial photos and recent detailed maps are not available. During the archaeological research in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey) and in southern Italy (Monte Irsi, Monte Serico, Jure Vetere and Metaponto), the examination and the study of panchromatic and multispectral images of QuickBird made it possible to detect surface anomalies and traces linked to ancient buried structures or to paleo-environmental elements; moreover, panchromatic images were georeferenced and used as the base field maps for the survey in Hierapolis, together with GPS systems. The satellite images were analysed both for the identification of archaeological features and for the characterisation of the contexts in which these elements were found. During field work, the traces and the anomalies identified in the images were constantly verified, so as to determine their actual relevance to archaeological elements, to interpret them and, where possible, to specify their chronology, thus avoiding misunderstandings and errors. The images were used in all phases of the research (field work, documentation, data processing and management in GIS environment), in combination with the aerial photographs and the available maps; they were also used for presentation of the results and were draped on DEM for the 3D visualization of the territories and of the archaeological features. In order to highlight particular archaeological traces and anomalies some image processing methodologies were adopted: multispectral processing and algorithms of data fusion (with the integration of the high spatial resolution of panchromatic images with the spectral capability of multispectral images), of enhancement (such as PCA, NDVI and TCT) and edge detection

Ubiquitous Computing e Patrimonio Culturale: dalla fruizione alla salvaguardia

Il contributo propone una sintesi della ricerca internazionale sull'Ubiquitous Computing dalla fine degli anni '80, periodo durante il quale muove i primi passi, sino ai giorni nostri. La nuova sfida, fortemente caratterizzata e basata sui concetti di localizzazione, contesto e scalabilità è stata accolta dagli informatici ma anche da chi si occupa di informazione geografica, di sensoristica, di reti di comunicazione, di telefonia mobile e, negli ultimi tempi, di Patrimonio Culturale. In particolare si parla di Location Based Services che, specie negli ultimi anni (in cui) assumono importanza centrale e diffusa. Si conclude con un approfondimento sulle applicazioni più recenti relative alla fruizione ed alla salvaguardia del Patrimonio Culturale, anche attraverso la partecipazione del cittadino

Un approccio operativo e a basso costo alla protezione del Patrimonio artistico: il sistema zbSens

Il contributo presenta zbSens, tra i più innovativi sistemi di tracciabilità e protezione del Patrimonio Culturale: i suoi componenti sono miniaturizzati e non invasivi, low cost, userfriendly ed a bassissimo consumo energetico. Può essere facilmente utilizzato per garantire la movimentazione di singole oper

On the Use of Google Earth Engine and Sentinel Data to Detect “Lost” Sections of Ancient Roads. The Case of Via Appia

The currently available tools and services as open and free cloud resources to process big satellite data opened up a new frontier of possibilities and applications including archeological research. These new research opportunities also pose several challenges to be faced, as, for example, the data processing and interpretation. This letter is about the assessment of different methods and data sources to support a visual interpretation of EO imagery. Multitemporal Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 data sets have been processed to assess their capability in the detection of buried archeological remains related to some lost sections of the ancient Via Appia road (herein selected as case study). The very subtle and nonpermanent features linked to buried archeological remains can be captured using multitemporal (intra- and inter-year) satellite acquisitions, but this requires strong hardware infrastructures or cloud facilities, today also available as open and free tools as Google Earth Engine (GEE). In this study, a total of 2948 Sentinel 1 and 743 Sentinel 2 images were selected (from February 2017 to August 2020) and processed using GEE to enhance and unveil archeological features. Outputs obtained from both Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 have been successfully compared with in situ analysis and high-resolution Google Earth images

GPR investigations for the study and the restoration of the rose window of Troia Cathedral (southern Italy)

The development of cracks and distortions caused by past seismic events compromised the integrity of the rose window of Troia Cathedral, one of the most precious Romanesque monuments in southern Italy. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) using high-frequency antennae (mainly 1500 MHz) was selected from among various non-destructive testing methods for its high-resolution imaging to scan the internal structure of the various architectural elements of the wheel window: the decimetre-diameter columns constituting the rays, the ring decorated with intersecting arched ribwork and the surrounding circular ashlar curb. GPR was employed in the classical continuous reflection mode, moving the antennae manually along the architectural elements and paying exceptional care in the acquisition and processing stages to avoid positioning errors. Indeed, the challenging aspects of this case study were the geometrical complexity and small dimensions of the structural elements, causing many logistic/coupling problems. In spite of this, through proper interpretation techniques, based on signal analysis (presence of reflections and diffractions, velocity and attenuation variations) and correlation with features detected by visual inspection of the external surfaces, the GPR survey provided useful information on the internal structure of the rose window, detecting fractures and the boundaries of previously restored parts and locating hidden metallic components connecting the architectural elements. Information on the internal structure and spatial distribution of metallic junctions was essential for gaining insight into building techniques in order to discriminate between restoration strategies which may require either total or partial dismantling of the rose window. GPR results provided crucial evidence in favour of one of the (conflicting) hypotheses about the original building techniques, leading to the selection of partial dismantling as the most suitable restoration strategy. Analysis of measurements revealed the potential of GPR in the field of cultural heritage restoration, even in those cases characterized by complex geometry, structural brittleness and logistic difficulties, such as that discussed in this paper

A Maxwellian Look beyond Opaque Interfaces

I wonder if James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish mathematical physicist and father of the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, could have imagined being included on the cover of a book dealing with a sensing technology used to locate the position of buried pipes, to analyze the integrity of buildings, and to uncover ancient archaeological sites [...