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Chinese Academy of sciences
CNR Research Director, Deputy Director and Responsible of CNR-ISPC - Seat of Potenza, Director of the Italian Archaeogeophysics and Heritage Conservation Mission (ITACA) in Peru, Editor in Chief and co-founder of Heritage, Member of the International Doctorate College - Cities and Landscapes: and Professor of Architectural restoration in the School of Architecture of Univ. of Basilicata seat of Matera. He has Visiting Professor of RADI-Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, in Universities of Valencia and Palma de Maiorca. • Since 1993, his scientific activity has been developing along three main lines of research: 1) Integrated multiscale Remote sensing methods in Archaeology 2) non-invasive sensing technologies and sciences for Architectural and Archaeological heritage conservation and management, 3) Sciences for Conservation and Architectural Restoration. He authored and co-authored more than 300 scientific papers on Remote sensing in Archaeology, sensing technologies for cultural heritage conservation. He directed several scientific missions in Peru (Nasca, Cahuachi, Ventarron, Pachacamac), Colombia (the Walled city of Cartagena), Italia (Pompeii, the cathedrals of Troia and Matera). He co-directed missions in China (archaeological sites of Luoyang, Kaifeng in Henan) and Bolivia (Tiwanaku). He has been responsible for CNR of several national and international projects on Cultural Heritage management among which ATHENA; GeoMop, ByJeriNet, PRO_CULT
Unmanned aerial vehicles are currently the most used solution for cultural heritage in the field of close range and low altitude acquisitions. This work shows data acquired by multitemporal and multispectral aerial surveys in the archaeological site of San Vincenzo al Volturno (Molise, Italy). The site is one of the most important medieval archaeological sites in the world. It is a monastic settlement that was particularly rich during the early Middle Ages, and is famous for its two full-frescoed crypts which represent a milestone in the history of medieval art. Thanks to the use of multispectral aerial photography at different times of the year, an area not accessible to archaeological excavation has been investigated. To avoid redundancy of information and reduce the number of data to be analysed, a method based on spectral and radiometric enhancement techniques combined with a selective principal component analysis was used for the identification of useful information. The combination of already published archaeological data and new remote sensing discoveries, has allowed to better define the situation of the abbey during the building phases of the 8th/9th century and 11th century, confirming and adding new data to the assumptions made by archaeologists.
Nicodemo Abate; Alessia Frisetti; Federico Marazzi; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Multitemporal–Multispectral UAS Surveys for Archaeological Research: The Case Study of San Vincenzo Al Volturno (Molise, Italy). Remote Sensing 2021, 13, 2719 .
AMA StyleNicodemo Abate, Alessia Frisetti, Federico Marazzi, Nicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Multitemporal–Multispectral UAS Surveys for Archaeological Research: The Case Study of San Vincenzo Al Volturno (Molise, Italy). Remote Sensing. 2021; 13 (14):2719.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicodemo Abate; Alessia Frisetti; Federico Marazzi; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2021. "Multitemporal–Multispectral UAS Surveys for Archaeological Research: The Case Study of San Vincenzo Al Volturno (Molise, Italy)." Remote Sensing 13, no. 14: 2719.
Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Remote and Close Range Sensing for the Automatic Identification and Characterization of Archaeological Looting. The Case of Peru. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology 2021, 4, 126 -144.
AMA StyleNicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Remote and Close Range Sensing for the Automatic Identification and Characterization of Archaeological Looting. The Case of Peru. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology. 2021; 4 (1):126-144.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2021. "Remote and Close Range Sensing for the Automatic Identification and Characterization of Archaeological Looting. The Case of Peru." Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology 4, no. 1: 126-144.
The literature in the field of archaeological predictive models has grown in the last years, looking for new factors the most effective methods to introduce. However, where predictive models are used for archaeological heritage management, they could benefit from using a more speedy and consequently useful methods including some well-consolidated factors studied in the literature. In this paper, an operative archaeological predictive model is developed, validated and discussed, in order to test its effectiveness. It is applied to Yangshao period (5000–3000 BC) in the Songshan area, where Chinese civilization emerged and developed, and uses 563 known settlement sites. The satisfactory results herein achieved clearly suggest that the model herein proposed can be reliably used to predict the geographical location of unknown settlements.
Lijie Yan; Peng Lu; Panpan Chen; Maria Danese; Xiang Li; Nicola Masini; Xia Wang; Lanbo Guo; Dong Zhao. Towards an Operative Predictive Model for the Songshan Area during the Yangshao Period. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2021, 10, 217 .
AMA StyleLijie Yan, Peng Lu, Panpan Chen, Maria Danese, Xiang Li, Nicola Masini, Xia Wang, Lanbo Guo, Dong Zhao. Towards an Operative Predictive Model for the Songshan Area during the Yangshao Period. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2021; 10 (4):217.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLijie Yan; Peng Lu; Panpan Chen; Maria Danese; Xiang Li; Nicola Masini; Xia Wang; Lanbo Guo; Dong Zhao. 2021. "Towards an Operative Predictive Model for the Songshan Area during the Yangshao Period." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 10, no. 4: 217.
In recent years, the impact of Climate change, anthropogenic and natural hazards (such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, fires) has dramatically increased and adversely affected modern and past human buildings including outstanding cultural properties and UNESCO heritage sites. Research about protection/monitoring of cultural heritage is crucial to preserve our cultural properties and (with them also) our history and identity. This paper is focused on the use of the open-source Google Earth Engine tool herein used to analyze flood and fire events which affected the area of Metaponto (southern Italy), near the homonymous Greek-Roman archaeological site. The use of the Google Earth Engine has allowed the supervised and unsupervised classification of areas affected by flooding (2013–2020) and fire (2017) in the past years, obtaining remarkable results and useful information for setting up strategies to mitigate damage and support the preservation of areas and landscape rich in cultural and natural heritage.
Carmen Fattore; Nicodemo Abate; Farid Faridani; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Google Earth Engine as Multi-Sensor Open-Source Tool for Supporting the Preservation of Archaeological Areas: The Case Study of Flood and Fire Mapping in Metaponto, Italy. Sensors 2021, 21, 1791 .
AMA StyleCarmen Fattore, Nicodemo Abate, Farid Faridani, Nicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Google Earth Engine as Multi-Sensor Open-Source Tool for Supporting the Preservation of Archaeological Areas: The Case Study of Flood and Fire Mapping in Metaponto, Italy. Sensors. 2021; 21 (5):1791.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarmen Fattore; Nicodemo Abate; Farid Faridani; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2021. "Google Earth Engine as Multi-Sensor Open-Source Tool for Supporting the Preservation of Archaeological Areas: The Case Study of Flood and Fire Mapping in Metaponto, Italy." Sensors 21, no. 5: 1791.
The Middle Ages have been traditionally considered a crisis period due to the demographic decrease and economic deterioration occurred in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the historical reconsideration has been focused not only on decline and decay, but also on resilience and recovery which characterized the Europe of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. So, today the main open question is as follows: how can we explain the diverse attitude (namely recovery versus decline) and the reasons why some settlements were more (or less) resilient than others? To provide a contribution to this issue, we focused on two medieval villages which are located very close to each other (in the Basilicata Region Southern Italy) and selected because they are characterized by diverse vicissitudes: Irsi abandoned in the fourteenth century and Montepeloso (still “existing” and renamed Irsina) where the population of Irsi moved to. To improve our current knowledge on Irsi, we reused and integrated multiscale LiDAR datasets in order to cope with the lack of documentary source. The use of LiDAR data enabled (i) the reconstruction of the potential urban fabric of Irsi, along with its temporal development and the transformation of the surrounding landscape, and (ii) the definition of a hypothesis about the causes of its desertification based on the inter-site analysis between Irsi and Montepeloso. The main results from the LiDAR-based analysis were as follows: (i) the diachronic reconstruction of the building phases of the village and (ii) the identification of a significant indicator obtained as the ratio between the amount of cultivatable land (close to the settlement area) and the population to characterize the resilience behavior in hilly landscape. This approach has been also successfully applied to another similar case study. Outputs from our analyses pointed out that LiDAR data can fruitfully improve medieval archaeological investigations and facilitate knowledge improvement from intra to- inter-site scale analyses and from local up to a landscape perspective.
Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. On the Reuse of Multiscale LiDAR Data to Investigate the Resilience in the Late Medieval Time: the Case Study of Basilicata in South of Italy. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 2020, 1 -28.
AMA StyleNicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. On the Reuse of Multiscale LiDAR Data to Investigate the Resilience in the Late Medieval Time: the Case Study of Basilicata in South of Italy. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 2020; ():1-28.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2020. "On the Reuse of Multiscale LiDAR Data to Investigate the Resilience in the Late Medieval Time: the Case Study of Basilicata in South of Italy." Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory , no. : 1-28.
The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: Due to mislabeling, replace: Figure 6Typical Neolithic settlements in the Tavoliere delle Puglie: (a) settlement of Masseria Schifata; (b) settlement of Passo di Corvo [36]
Abdelaziz Elfadaly; Nicodemo Abate; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Correction: Elfadaly, A.; Abate, N.; Masini, N.; Lasaponara, R. SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 2611. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 2878 .
AMA StyleAbdelaziz Elfadaly, Nicodemo Abate, Nicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Correction: Elfadaly, A.; Abate, N.; Masini, N.; Lasaponara, R. SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 2611. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (18):2878.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAbdelaziz Elfadaly; Nicodemo Abate; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2020. "Correction: Elfadaly, A.; Abate, N.; Masini, N.; Lasaponara, R. SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 2611." Remote Sensing 12, no. 18: 2878.
The use of satellite radar in landscape archaeology offers great potential for manifold applications, such as the detection of ancient landscape features and anthropogenic transformations. Compared to optical data, the use and interpretation of radar imaging for archaeological investigations is more complex, due to many reasons including that: (i) ancient landscape features and anthropogenic transformations provide subtle signals, which are (ii) often covered by noise; and, (iii) only detectable in specific soil characteristics, moisture content, vegetation phenomenology, and meteorological parameters. In this paper, we assessed the capability of SAR Sentinel 1 in the imaging and detection of palaeo-landscape features in the Mediterranean area of Tavoliere delle Puglie. For the purpose of our investigations, a significant test site (larger than 200 km2) was selected in the Foggia Province (South of Italy) as this area has been characterized for millennia by human frequentation starting from (at least) the Neolithic. The results from the Sentinel 1 (S-1) data were successfully compared with independent data sets, and the comparison clearly showed an excellent match between the S-1 based outputs and ancient anthropogenic transformations and landscape features.
Abdelaziz Elfadaly; Nicodemo Abate; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 2611 .
AMA StyleAbdelaziz Elfadaly, Nicodemo Abate, Nicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (16):2611.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAbdelaziz Elfadaly; Nicodemo Abate; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2020. "SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area." Remote Sensing 12, no. 16: 2611.
Most of the artistic heritage in the Mediterranean basin is hosted in rupestrian hypogeum whose peculiarity is given by the presence of at least one open side, which makes them particularly sensitive to meteorological conditions. This makes mandatory the monitoring of both indoor and outdoor environmental parameters to analyze the cause–effect relationship between microclimatic inside and outside the hypogeum. The paper proposes a spatial and temporal multi-scale methodological approach applied to a rupestrian church in Matera, which hosts precious wall paintings, particularly vulnerable to the effects of environmental parameters. The approach is based on the analysis of data acquired by three platforms: indoor, close-range outdoor, and outdoor data from a meteorological station and weather forecast from the COSMO 5 model. The method allowed to characterize the relationships between the indoor and outdoor parameters at different spatial and temporal scales. The results showed a significant correlation between the parameters, thus opening new opportunities for the monitoring of the rupestrian heritage based on the use of data systematically available, such as those from meteorological stations and meteorological forecast.
M. Sileo; F. T. Gizzi; A. Donvito; R. Lasaponara; F. Fiore; N. Masini. Multi-Scale Monitoring of Rupestrian Heritage: Methodological Approach and Application to a Case Study. International Journal of Architectural Heritage 2020, 1 -16.
AMA StyleM. Sileo, F. T. Gizzi, A. Donvito, R. Lasaponara, F. Fiore, N. Masini. Multi-Scale Monitoring of Rupestrian Heritage: Methodological Approach and Application to a Case Study. International Journal of Architectural Heritage. 2020; ():1-16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Sileo; F. T. Gizzi; A. Donvito; R. Lasaponara; F. Fiore; N. Masini. 2020. "Multi-Scale Monitoring of Rupestrian Heritage: Methodological Approach and Application to a Case Study." International Journal of Architectural Heritage , no. : 1-16.
One of the most complex challenges of heritage sciences is the identification and protection of buried archaeological heritage in urban areas and the need to manage, maintain and inspect underground services. Archaeology and geophysics, used in an integrated way, provide an important contribution to open new perspectives in understanding both the history of cities and in helping the decision makers in planning and governing the urban development and management. The problems of identification and interpretation of geophysical features in urban subsoil make it necessary to develop ad hoc procedures to be implemented and validated in significant case studies. This paper deals with the results of an interdisciplinary project in Cusco (Peru), the capital of Inca Empire, where the georadar method was applied for the first time in the main square. The georadar method was successfully employed based on knowledge of the historical evolution of Cusco and the availability of archaeological records provided by some excavations nearby the study area. Starting from a model for the electromagnetic wave reflection from archaeological structures and pipes, georadar results were interpreted by means of comparative morphological analysis of high amplitude values observed from time slices with reflectors visualized in the radargrams.
Nicola Masini; Giovanni Leucci; David Vera; Maria Sileo; Antonio Pecci; Sayri Garcia; Ronald López; Henry Holguín; Rosa Lasaponara. Towards Urban Archaeo-Geophysics in Peru. The Case Study of Plaza de Armas in Cusco. Sensors 2020, 20, 2869 .
AMA StyleNicola Masini, Giovanni Leucci, David Vera, Maria Sileo, Antonio Pecci, Sayri Garcia, Ronald López, Henry Holguín, Rosa Lasaponara. Towards Urban Archaeo-Geophysics in Peru. The Case Study of Plaza de Armas in Cusco. Sensors. 2020; 20 (10):2869.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Masini; Giovanni Leucci; David Vera; Maria Sileo; Antonio Pecci; Sayri Garcia; Ronald López; Henry Holguín; Rosa Lasaponara. 2020. "Towards Urban Archaeo-Geophysics in Peru. The Case Study of Plaza de Armas in Cusco." Sensors 20, no. 10: 2869.
This paper is focused on the use of satellite Sentinel-2 data for assessing their capability in the identification of archaeological buried remains. We selected the “Tavoliere delle Puglie” (Foggia, Italy) as a test area because it is characterized by a long human frequentation and is very rich in archaeological remains. The investigations were performed using multi-temporal Sentinel-2 data and spectral indices, commonly used in satellite-based archaeology, and herein analyzed in known archaeological areas to capture the spectral signatures of soil and crop marks and characterize their temporal behavior using Time Series Analysis and Spectral Un-mixing. Tasseled Cap Transformation and Principal Component Analysis have been also adopted to enhance archaeological features. Results from investigations were compared with independent data sources and enabled us to (i) characterize the spectral signatures of soil and crop marks, (ii) assess the performance of the diverse spectral channels and indices, and (iii) identify the best period of the year to capture the archaeological proxy indicators. Additional very important results of our investigations were (i) the discovery of unknown archaeological areas and (ii) the setup of a database of archaeological features devised ad hoc to characterize and categorize the diverse typologies of archaeological remains detected using Sentinel-2 Data.
Nicodemo Abate; Abdelaziz Elfadaly; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Multitemporal 2016-2018 Sentinel-2 Data Enhancement for Landscape Archaeology: The Case Study of the Foggia Province, Southern Italy. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1309 .
AMA StyleNicodemo Abate, Abdelaziz Elfadaly, Nicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Multitemporal 2016-2018 Sentinel-2 Data Enhancement for Landscape Archaeology: The Case Study of the Foggia Province, Southern Italy. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (8):1309.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicodemo Abate; Abdelaziz Elfadaly; Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2020. "Multitemporal 2016-2018 Sentinel-2 Data Enhancement for Landscape Archaeology: The Case Study of the Foggia Province, Southern Italy." Remote Sensing 12, no. 8: 1309.
In recent years, very high-resolution satellite remote-sensing tools have been progressively used in archaeological prospecting to acquire information and improve documentation. Satellite remote sensing has also benefited from technical improvements, including better spectral and spatial resolution of sensors, which have facilitated the detection and discovery of unknown archaeological areas. This paper focuses on investigations conducted using multi-spectral satellite remote-sensing data of the ancient canal systems of the Wadi el Melah Valley (WMV) in southern Tunisia. The area used to be part of a huge military defense system along the desert border. This paper describes the use of GeoEye-1 and Ziyuan-3 satellite remote-sensing data to reveal ancient Roman canals, which were part of an advanced hydraulic system devised to capture runoff water and cope with the lack of water in the area. In general, this research provides new information on some essential sections of the Roman walled defense system Limes (Fossatum) in the southern part of the empire, where we study previously undetected sites.
Nabil Bachagha; Lei Luo; Xinyuan Wang; Nicola Masini; Tababi Moussa; Houcine Khatteli; Rosa Lasaponara. Mapping the Roman Water Supply System of the Wadi el Melah Valley in Gafsa, Tunisia, Using Remote Sensing. Sustainability 2020, 12, 567 .
AMA StyleNabil Bachagha, Lei Luo, Xinyuan Wang, Nicola Masini, Tababi Moussa, Houcine Khatteli, Rosa Lasaponara. Mapping the Roman Water Supply System of the Wadi el Melah Valley in Gafsa, Tunisia, Using Remote Sensing. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (2):567.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNabil Bachagha; Lei Luo; Xinyuan Wang; Nicola Masini; Tababi Moussa; Houcine Khatteli; Rosa Lasaponara. 2020. "Mapping the Roman Water Supply System of the Wadi el Melah Valley in Gafsa, Tunisia, Using Remote Sensing." Sustainability 12, no. 2: 567.
Traditionally the history of remote sensing began during the First World War when aerial photography became a valuable reconnaissance tool. However, moving back more than a thousand years, the real pioneers of remote observation were probably the Nasca, a pre-Hispanic civilization living in southern Peru, between 100BC and 700 AD. They used ‘earth observation’ as a mean of cultural expression drawing the geoglyphs (known as Nasca Lines) only visible from above. These drawings were made on flat desert surface of the Pampa by removing or clearing sand or stones, to create paths for ritual functions to please the gods and create harmonious relationships between man and environment. In this paper, the Nasca geoglyphs in Pampa de Atarco, are object of remote sensing based investigations with the twofold aim to identify and characterize them as well as to analyse and monitor their fragile state of conservation, threatened mainly by vandalism and off road vehicles. The approach herein proposed includes the integration and reuse of diverse remote sensing dataset, from multispectral satellite to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based LSAR data and close range photogrammetry. In particular, a multidate (2002–2013) very high resolution (VHR) optical satellite dataset has been processed in the spatial and temporal domain using textural indicators, including Skewness, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and automatic classification tools which allowed us to enhance the visibility of disturbance features and to automatically extract them. The best results in terms of enhancement and automatic extraction capability of disturbance features have been obtained by Skewness. Moreover, the reuse of UAV L SAR-based correlation map, available free of charge from NASA, provided useful information on the state of disturbance from 2013 to 2015, widening the observation time window of the VHR satellite data set from 2002 to 2013. Finally, the integrated use of satellite VHR data with UAV-based photographs and DTMs, processed using structure from motion (SfM), allowed us to characterize, identify and reconstruct the relative chronological sequence of geoglyphs thus providing new insights and opening new perspectives for archaeological studies.
Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Satellite and close range analysis for the surveillance and knowledge improvement of the Nasca geoglyphs. Remote Sensing of Environment 2019, 236, 111447 .
AMA StyleNicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Satellite and close range analysis for the surveillance and knowledge improvement of the Nasca geoglyphs. Remote Sensing of Environment. 2019; 236 ():111447.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2019. "Satellite and close range analysis for the surveillance and knowledge improvement of the Nasca geoglyphs." Remote Sensing of Environment 236, no. : 111447.
Lei Luo; Xinyuan Wang; Huadong Guo; Rosa Lasaponara; Xin Zong; Nicola Masini; Guizhou Wang; Pilong Shi; Houcine Khatteli; Fulong Chen; Shahina Tariq; Jie Shao; Nabil Bachagha; Ruixia Yang; Ya Yao. Airborne and spaceborne remote sensing for archaeological and cultural heritage applications: A review of the century (1907–2017). Remote Sensing of Environment 2019, 232, 1 .
AMA StyleLei Luo, Xinyuan Wang, Huadong Guo, Rosa Lasaponara, Xin Zong, Nicola Masini, Guizhou Wang, Pilong Shi, Houcine Khatteli, Fulong Chen, Shahina Tariq, Jie Shao, Nabil Bachagha, Ruixia Yang, Ya Yao. Airborne and spaceborne remote sensing for archaeological and cultural heritage applications: A review of the century (1907–2017). Remote Sensing of Environment. 2019; 232 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLei Luo; Xinyuan Wang; Huadong Guo; Rosa Lasaponara; Xin Zong; Nicola Masini; Guizhou Wang; Pilong Shi; Houcine Khatteli; Fulong Chen; Shahina Tariq; Jie Shao; Nabil Bachagha; Ruixia Yang; Ya Yao. 2019. "Airborne and spaceborne remote sensing for archaeological and cultural heritage applications: A review of the century (1907–2017)." Remote Sensing of Environment 232, no. : 1.
Cultural heritage is the creative expression of a people’s presence in the past. It represents a driving force to create, develop, and consolidate the sense of identity, belonging, and citizenship, as well as a means to appreciate the diversity of people and develop a policy for peace and mutual understanding. Furthermore, heritage is a source of economic development and a key factor for sustainable development. The dissemination of such values among people and the transmission of heritage to the future generations entail putting into the field proper actions, from the knowledge to the protection and conservation, and from the enhancement to the fruition and management. Such requirements increasingly involve the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) that can be considered the paradigm shift to create novel job opportunities in the field of cultural heritage. This paper aims to discuss an experience led by the Institute of Archaeological and Monumental Heritage of the (Italian) National Research Council (IBAM-CNR), with students of a secondary school of the Basilicata region (Southern Italy). The experience developed within the framework of the School-Work Alternation (SWA) (recently renamed “Pathways for Transversal Competences and Orientation” by Italian law), a training modality envisaged in the Italian school system to bring the school closer to the world of work by proper partnership between formal education contexts and external organizations. The SWA Project revolves around the acquisition of some technical and methodological tools for the approach to knowledge, conservation, and enhancement of cultural heritage, having particular regard for diagnostic tools and ICTs. This article deals with the outcomes of the activities developed during the Project, discussing both the technical-professional and transversal skills acquired or expected to be acquired by the students. In addition, starting from the results of the activities, the authors speculate about possible outlooks of SWA in the heritage field considering: (i) the role of such a training path in raising young people's awareness to preserve cultural heritage by becoming active and proactive citizens; (ii) the relationship of SWA with regional and European-supported development policy strategies; (iii) the potential benefits that SWA can provide for cultural heritage from the synergy between different institutional actors.
Fabrizio Terenzio Gizzi; Marilisa Biscione; Maria Danese; Agata Maggio; Antonio Pecci; Maria Sileo; Maria Rosaria Potenza; Nicola Masini; Antonella Ruggeri; Franca Mercurio; ( School-Work Alternation (SWA) Working Group (WG). Students Meet Cultural Heritage: An Experience within the Framework of the Italian School-Work Alternation (SWA)—from Outcomes to Outlooks. Heritage 2019, 2, 1986 -2016.
AMA StyleFabrizio Terenzio Gizzi, Marilisa Biscione, Maria Danese, Agata Maggio, Antonio Pecci, Maria Sileo, Maria Rosaria Potenza, Nicola Masini, Antonella Ruggeri, Franca Mercurio, ( School-Work Alternation (SWA) Working Group (WG). Students Meet Cultural Heritage: An Experience within the Framework of the Italian School-Work Alternation (SWA)—from Outcomes to Outlooks. Heritage. 2019; 2 (3):1986-2016.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFabrizio Terenzio Gizzi; Marilisa Biscione; Maria Danese; Agata Maggio; Antonio Pecci; Maria Sileo; Maria Rosaria Potenza; Nicola Masini; Antonella Ruggeri; Franca Mercurio; ( School-Work Alternation (SWA) Working Group (WG). 2019. "Students Meet Cultural Heritage: An Experience within the Framework of the Italian School-Work Alternation (SWA)—from Outcomes to Outlooks." Heritage 2, no. 3: 1986-2016.
The abandonment of inhabited places is a phenomenon that concerns many countries worldwide and Italy particularly where a large number of deserted settlements are hosted. Many are the factors driving and conditioning the abandonment of a site, such as natural extreme events (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, and floods) and/or human (not) actions. Once the site is abandoned, the built-up area experiences a progressive physical decay so posing problems about the policies to be adopted to manage and maintain the buildings (or their ruins). That being stated, the article proposes an integrated methodological approach to analyse both the natural/human factors causing the abandonment of settlements and conservation state of deserted places over time. To test the methodology, we considered the old town of Craco (Basilicata, Southern Italy) as a case study. That “ghost town”, whose fascinating urban and natural landscapes have been the set of numerous international films, was gradually transferred to other two places since the 1960s due to the landslides that have affected the site over the centuries. Three were the explicit key aims of the research. The first was to scrutinise the activations/reactivations of the landslides jointly with their effects on the built environment so to critical go over the actions put into the field by the institutions to mitigate the hydrogeological risk. The second was to examine whether and how the landslide occurrences conditioned the urban growth of the Craco over time. The third was to investigate in relation to the vegetation growth in the Craco downtown over the last 15 years or so, to infer clues on future decay trends and conservation strategies of the built environment. The purposes were reached considering a geological-geomorphological, historical, and remote-sensing approach. In detail, the first goal was met (re)considering a cross-correlated analysis, in diachronic key, of edited/unedited archive sources with geological/geomorphological perspectives. The second was followed up performing the analysis of the Craco urban growth over the centuries and correlating it with the history of landslide occurrences. The third target was pursued by means of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) time series obtained from Landsat TM and Sentinel 2 data along with HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) colour system techniques applied to multi-date Google Earth photos. From the perspective angle, the results of this research can contribute to setup proper resilience strategies for sites subject to hydrogeological hazard similar to that affects Craco, thus helping to identify conservation plans as well as enhancement policies of “ghost towns”.
F. T. Gizzi; M. Bentivenga; Rosa Lasaponara; M. Danese; M. R. Potenza; Maria Sileo; Nicola Masini. Natural Hazards, Human Factors, and “Ghost Towns”: a Multi-Level Approach. Geoheritage 2019, 11, 1533 -1565.
AMA StyleF. T. Gizzi, M. Bentivenga, Rosa Lasaponara, M. Danese, M. R. Potenza, Maria Sileo, Nicola Masini. Natural Hazards, Human Factors, and “Ghost Towns”: a Multi-Level Approach. Geoheritage. 2019; 11 (4):1533-1565.
Chicago/Turabian StyleF. T. Gizzi; M. Bentivenga; Rosa Lasaponara; M. Danese; M. R. Potenza; Maria Sileo; Nicola Masini. 2019. "Natural Hazards, Human Factors, and “Ghost Towns”: a Multi-Level Approach." Geoheritage 11, no. 4: 1533-1565.
Illegal excavations represent one of the main risks which affect archaeological heritage throughout the world. Actions oriented to quantify damage and prevent looting can be supported by satellite technologies which can provide reliable information to detect and map devastation phenomenon in particular for remote or non-accessible sites. In these cases, it is desirable to use satellite-based semiautomatic or automatic approaches for the mapping and quantification of looting patterns. In this paper, an automatic method for archaeological looting feature extraction approach (ALFEA) has been applied to an archaeological site in Syria, Tell Sheikh Hamad, affected by archaeological looting before and during the civil war. The aim is to evaluate the capability of ALFEA to extract past and recent looting features and patterns using Google Earth images. The results have been assessed through visual inspection, which shows that the rate of success was higher than 90% for recent looting and around the 80% for past archaeological disturbance.
Nicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. Recent and Past Archaeological Looting by Satellite Remote Sensing: Approach and Application in Syria. Environment and Earth Observation 2019, 123 -137.
AMA StyleNicola Masini, Rosa Lasaponara. Recent and Past Archaeological Looting by Satellite Remote Sensing: Approach and Application in Syria. Environment and Earth Observation. 2019; ():123-137.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Masini; Rosa Lasaponara. 2019. "Recent and Past Archaeological Looting by Satellite Remote Sensing: Approach and Application in Syria." Environment and Earth Observation , no. : 123-137.
This study provides an evaluation of spectral responses of hollow ways in Upper Mesopotamia. Hollow ways were used for the transportation of animals, carts, and other moving agents for centuries. The aim is to show how the success of spectral indices varies in describing topologically simple features even in a seemingly homogeneous geographic unit. The variation is further highlighted under the changing precipitation regime. The methodology begins with an exploration of the relationship between the date of a multispectral scene and the visibility of hollow ways. The next step is to evaluate the impact of rainfall levels on numerous indices and to quantify spectral contrast. The contrast between a hollow way and its background is evaluated with Welch’s t-test and the association between precipitation regime and spectral responses of hollow ways are investigated with Correspondence Analysis and Fisher’s test. Results highlight an intrinsic relationship between the precipitation regime and the ways in which archaeological features reflects and/or emits electromagnetic energy. Next, the categorization of spectral indices based on different rainfall levels can be used as a guidance in future studies. Finally, the study suggests contrast becomes an even more fruitful concept as one moves from the spatial domain to the spectral domain.
Tuna Kalayci; Rosa Lasaponara; John Wainwright; Nicola Masini. Multispectral Contrast of Archaeological Features: A Quantitative Evaluation. Remote Sensing 2019, 11, 913 .
AMA StyleTuna Kalayci, Rosa Lasaponara, John Wainwright, Nicola Masini. Multispectral Contrast of Archaeological Features: A Quantitative Evaluation. Remote Sensing. 2019; 11 (8):913.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTuna Kalayci; Rosa Lasaponara; John Wainwright; Nicola Masini. 2019. "Multispectral Contrast of Archaeological Features: A Quantitative Evaluation." Remote Sensing 11, no. 8: 913.
ATHENA is an on-going Horizon 2020 Twinning project aiming to promote remote sensing technologies for cultural heritage (CH) applications in Cyprus. ATHENA project brings together the Eratosthenes Research Center (ERC) of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) with two internationally leading institutions of Europe, namely the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). The project’s scope is to position the ERC regionally and stimulate future cooperation through placements at partner institutions and enhance the research and academic profile of all participants. The scientific strengthening and networking achieved through the ATHENA project could be of great benefit not only for Cyprus but for the entire Eastern Mediterranean, bearing a plethora of archaeological sites and monuments urgently calling for monitoring and safeguarding. The preservation of CH and landscape comprises a strategic priority not only to guarantee cultural treasures and evidence of the human past to future generations, but also to exploit them as a strategic and valuable economic asset. The objective of this paper is to present knowledge transfer examples achieved from the ATHENA project through intense training activities. These activities were also designed to enhance the scientific profile of the research staff and to accelerate the development of research capabilities of the ERC. At the same time the results from the training activities were also exploited to promote earth observation knowledge and best practices intended for CH. The activities included active and passive remote sensing data used for archaeological applications, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image analysis for change and deformation detection, monitoring of risk factors related to cultural heritage sites including archaeological looting etc.
Argyro Nisantzi; Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis; Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri; Christiana Papoutsa; Marios Tzouvaras; Athos Agapiou; Kyriacos Themistocleous; Christodoulos Mettas; Andreas Christofe; Silas Michaelides; Vasiliki Lysandrou; Euagoras Euagorou; Nicoletta Papageorgiou; Nicola Masini; Marilisa Biscione; Maria Danesec; Maria Sileo; Thomas Krauss; Daniele Cerra; Ursula Gessner; Gunter Schreier; Rosa Lasaponara. Remote sensing archaeology knowledge transfer: examples from the ATHENA Twinning project. Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXIV 2018, 10789, 107891M .
AMA StyleArgyro Nisantzi, Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Christiana Papoutsa, Marios Tzouvaras, Athos Agapiou, Kyriacos Themistocleous, Christodoulos Mettas, Andreas Christofe, Silas Michaelides, Vasiliki Lysandrou, Euagoras Euagorou, Nicoletta Papageorgiou, Nicola Masini, Marilisa Biscione, Maria Danesec, Maria Sileo, Thomas Krauss, Daniele Cerra, Ursula Gessner, Gunter Schreier, Rosa Lasaponara. Remote sensing archaeology knowledge transfer: examples from the ATHENA Twinning project. Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXIV. 2018; 10789 ():107891M.
Chicago/Turabian StyleArgyro Nisantzi; Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis; Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri; Christiana Papoutsa; Marios Tzouvaras; Athos Agapiou; Kyriacos Themistocleous; Christodoulos Mettas; Andreas Christofe; Silas Michaelides; Vasiliki Lysandrou; Euagoras Euagorou; Nicoletta Papageorgiou; Nicola Masini; Marilisa Biscione; Maria Danesec; Maria Sileo; Thomas Krauss; Daniele Cerra; Ursula Gessner; Gunter Schreier; Rosa Lasaponara. 2018. "Remote sensing archaeology knowledge transfer: examples from the ATHENA Twinning project." Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXIV 10789, no. : 107891M.
Through time, the large ceremonial centers of the Peruvian pre-Hispanic coast have played an important role as Pachacamac, renowned for its famous oracle, which was an important site for cult and pilgrimage, where the use of water entered largely into ritual functions during Inca age and before. The sanctuary’s landscape included sea, valley and lomas (ecosystem of grassy, seasonal knolls), and a complex and elaborate system of springs and canals which seem to use both the natural water table and the waters of the nearby Lurin river. In this sacred landscape there are over fifty buildings associated to springs and canals, built during a long occupation spanning over a 1000 years. This entire system must have been connected to Urpiwachaq lagoon, located to the northeast and only a few kilometers away from the sea. The origins of the lagoon and its relationship with the archaeological site evoke creation myths for the waters and marine species of the central coast. In this paper we discussed the results obtained from the geophysical investigations performed to define the water management system in the sanctuary and their connection with the lagoon. In particular, geo-electric, geomagnetic and ground penetrating radar prospections were carried out in the monumental area to determine the trajectory of the waters that drained into the lagoon from a series of ponds and canals. The interdisciplinary work in both the lagoon and monumental area provided a valuable source of information useful to better understand the history and function of the Pachacamac sanctuary in prehispanic times.
Denise Pozzi-Escot; Janet Oshiro; Gerardo Romano; Luigi Capozzoli; Rosa Lasaponara; Nicola Masini. Traces in the desert: use of new technologies for the study and valorization of the Pachacamac sanctuary—Lima, Peru. Heritage Science 2018, 6, 68 .
AMA StyleDenise Pozzi-Escot, Janet Oshiro, Gerardo Romano, Luigi Capozzoli, Rosa Lasaponara, Nicola Masini. Traces in the desert: use of new technologies for the study and valorization of the Pachacamac sanctuary—Lima, Peru. Heritage Science. 2018; 6 (1):68.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDenise Pozzi-Escot; Janet Oshiro; Gerardo Romano; Luigi Capozzoli; Rosa Lasaponara; Nicola Masini. 2018. "Traces in the desert: use of new technologies for the study and valorization of the Pachacamac sanctuary—Lima, Peru." Heritage Science 6, no. 1: 68.
The “ATHENA” H2020 Twinning project seeks to establish a Center of Excellence in the field of Remote Sensing for Cultural Heritage through the development of an enhanced knowledge base and innovative methods in the areas of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. This paper presents an overview of the ATHENA twinning project as well a review of the remote sensing in archaeology. The ATHENA stakeholder hub is presented through a WEBGIS platform. The importance of capitalizing on the experience of running the ATHENA project for the benefit of the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence (ECoE) is explained. In recent years, Earth Observation (EO) techniques have been used extensively for archaeological and cultural heritage applications, which makes the ECoE a key player in EO activities in the Eastern Meditteranean region. The different areas that are under the umbrella of the remote sensing in archaeology sector are categorized based on the review findings. Finally, how Earth observation and remote sensing is spread out through research activities in the Eastern Meditteranean region from 1998 to 2018 is presented based on the Scopus engine.
Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis; Kyriacos Themistocleous; Evagoras Evagorou; Silas Michaelides; Andreas Christofe; Argyro Nisantzi; Kyriacos Neocleous; Christiana Papoutsa; Christodoulos Mettas; Marios Tzouvaras; Eleni Loulli; Georgia Kouta; Chris Danezis; Rosa Lasaponara; Nicola Masini; Daniele Cerra; Gunter Schreier; George Papadavid. Capitalize on the Experience of the ATHENA Project for Cultural Heritage for the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence for the Benefit of the East Med Region. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV 2018, 639 -647.
AMA StyleDiofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Kyriacos Themistocleous, Evagoras Evagorou, Silas Michaelides, Andreas Christofe, Argyro Nisantzi, Kyriacos Neocleous, Christiana Papoutsa, Christodoulos Mettas, Marios Tzouvaras, Eleni Loulli, Georgia Kouta, Chris Danezis, Rosa Lasaponara, Nicola Masini, Daniele Cerra, Gunter Schreier, George Papadavid. Capitalize on the Experience of the ATHENA Project for Cultural Heritage for the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence for the Benefit of the East Med Region. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV. 2018; ():639-647.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDiofantos G. Hadjimitsis; Kyriacos Themistocleous; Evagoras Evagorou; Silas Michaelides; Andreas Christofe; Argyro Nisantzi; Kyriacos Neocleous; Christiana Papoutsa; Christodoulos Mettas; Marios Tzouvaras; Eleni Loulli; Georgia Kouta; Chris Danezis; Rosa Lasaponara; Nicola Masini; Daniele Cerra; Gunter Schreier; George Papadavid. 2018. "Capitalize on the Experience of the ATHENA Project for Cultural Heritage for the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence for the Benefit of the East Med Region." Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV , no. : 639-647.