Study of ancient monuments’ seismic performance based on Passive and Remote Techniques

“Engineering structures are designed to be safe. The difficulty one trading in this regard is the desire to construct something for a specific purpose out of a material of which one can never know enough in terms of the material’s properties as well as the environment the structure is going to operate in”. Even though this affirmation was initially drawn for modern structures, it however firmly describes the situation of the ancient ones. In the case of ancient monuments, the mechanical properties of the construction materials, their consistency and their homogeneity are highly unknown and can only be determined probabilistically through elaborate testing under legislative and protective to the monuments’ restrictions. On the other hand, the environmental (weather) conditions and natural hazards to which those ancient masonry structures were and still are exposed is even more difficult to be determined with precision and thus monitored, but has certainly led to their degradation. Towards this end, the present study discusses the potentialities of non-destructive passive and remote system investigations of monuments, trying to examine the benefits and drawbacks in relation to the result and in comparison to conventional structural control methods. A selection of the most credible methods for the investigation of monuments is described along with their potential applications. The scope of this investigation is to acquire information regarding the subsurface condition and consequently the structural system of the monument and anticipate its future behavior in destructive earthquake events. This can be achieved through a simulation model, which can be as realistic as the information obtained and can be updated with more thorough information. To demonstrate the application of this updating process in obtaining the response of the monument, a case study tomb “Tomb 4” from the Hellenistic necropolis of the ‘Tombs of the Kings’, in Paphos Cyprus is examined, recapitalizing thus previous work of the team accomplished on the aforementioned monument. The seismic performance of the monument, located in a moderate earthquake hazard area, will be examined based on passive and remote data acquisition and simulation results will be shown

Educational activities of remote sensing archaeology

Remote sensing science is increasingly being used to support archaeological and cultural heritage research in various ways. Satellite sensors either passive or active are currently used in a systematic basis to detect buried archaeological remains and to systematic monitor tangible heritage. In addition, airborne and low altitude systems are being used for documentation purposes. Ground surveys using remote sensing tools such as spectroradiometers and ground penetrating radars can detect variations of vegetation and soil respectively, which are linked to the presence of underground archaeological features. Education activities and training of remote sensing archaeology to young people is characterized of highly importance. Specific remote sensing tools relevant for archaeological research can be developed including web tools, small libraries, interactive learning games etc. These tools can be then combined and aligned with archaeology and cultural heritage. This can be achieved by presenting historical and pre-historical records, excavated sites or even artifacts under a “remote sensing” approach. Using such non-form educational approach, the students can be involved, ask, read, and seek to learn more about remote sensing and of course to learn about history. The paper aims to present a modern didactical concept and some examples of practical implementation of remote sensing archaeology in secondary schools in Cyprus. The idea was built upon an ongoing project (ATHENA) focused on the sue of remote sensing for archaeological research in Cyprus. Through H2020 ATHENA project, the Remote Sensing Science and Geo-Environment Research Laboratory at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), with the support of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) aims to enhance its performance in all these new technologies

ATHENA: remote sensing science center for cultural heritage in Cyprus

Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2016, Volume 18, EGU2016-PREVIEWThe envisage ATHENA center will be devoted to the development, introduction and systematic use of advanced remote sensing science and technologies in the field of archaeology and built cultural heritage, the multi-temporal analysis and interpretation and the distant monitoring of their natural and anthropogenic environment in the area of Eastern Mediterranean. ATHENA will take advantage of the current capabilities of Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), both in terms of technical and staff capacity and technological readiness of the existing Lab, performing advanced research to support CH sector. The Center aims to be in close collaboration with national and international research institutes and stakeholders, providing integrated remote sensing services and solutions in the area of Eastern Mediterranean, rendering that way ATHENA a center of knowledge and an established lab in the field of Remote Sensing Archaeology

D6.10 Mass media material

The specific deliverable summarizes the material related to the form of interviews and articles in newspapers and magazines of the project. Radio, journals and newspapers are also used as means to promote and advertise some of the dissemination events of the project. Mass media promotions at a national level as well in the European Research Media Centre are organized to promote and raise awareness. Guest appearances on TV and radio shows and national newspapers are used to ensure the access to the widest community

D5.2 Report from the local promotion strategy

The present deliverable consists of the report on the local promotion strategy of the ATHENA project, and makes part of WP5 (Promotion of the centre locally and internationally).The strategy, was based on the promotion of the ATHENA locally with the aim to create a substantial and collaborative network, in order to sustain the Centre’s future activities

D6.9 ATHENA’s printed brochure

The specific deliverable displays the brochures of the ATHENA project which have been created, printed and distributed throughout the project, for dissemination purposes

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

D4.8 Material virtual training

Work package 4 focused on the training and knowledge transfer between the existing personnel of the Remote Sensing Lab of the Cyprus University of Technology and experts from the high performing partners’ institutions. The current deliverable consists precisely of the specific training/knowledge transfer activity of the virtual trainings that have took place throughout the project. The deliverable provides a brief description for each virtual training, all relative information as per topic, participants, date etc. Also, the material produced by each trainer, is also hereunder displayed. The topics of virtual trainings focused on the analysis of hyperspectral images, the use of remote sensing for looting monitoring and the multi-temporal remote sensing analyses. In addition, the fourth virtual training was focused on the Integration of RS data for Cultural Heritage management in the Copernicus Era

D4.7 Material from 4th workshop - ATHENA: Remote Sensing and archaeology: future and expectations

The specific deliverable summarizes the material related to the fourth workshop of the ATHENA project entitled as “ATHENA: Remote Sensing and archaeology: future and expectations”. The deliverable includes the overall agenda, the list of participants as well as the presentations carried out during the event. The minutes and the main outcomes of the workshop are also included in this report

GEOMATICS AND CIVIL ENGINEERING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON HERITAGE: INTRODUCING THE “ENGINEER” PROJECT

This paper aims to introduce the concept and objectives of a recently supported European project entitled “Geomatics and Civil Engineering Innovative Research on Heritage”, in short ENGINEER. The ENGINEER project visions to enhance and extend inter- departmental multidisciplinary research activities of the Department of Civil Engineering & Geomatics of the Cyprus University of Technology through coordination and support actions as well as through targeted research activities with the support of European leading institutions. Project tasks aim to fill research multidisciplinary gaps, push, and extend knowledge into new and innovative fields dealing with the monitoring, digitization, visualization, and preservation of ancient monuments and cultural heritage sites, assisting their protection, promotion, and safeguarding