Underground wine cellars represent a fragile form of cultural heritage, where long-term microclimatic imbalance can lead to material degradation, structural instability, and internal collapses. High humidity, limited ventilation, and the difficulty of access complicate both diagnosis and conservation. This study presents preliminary results from a preventive monitoring strategy applied to the underground wine cellars of Baltanás (Palencia, Spain), focusing on temperature, relative humidity, wall moisture content, and ventilation as key drivers of deterioration. A wireless network of commercial temperature–humidity sensors, wall moisture probes, and airflow sensors was deployed in four sections of a representative cellar over a monitoring period exceeding two years. In addition, mobile monitoring was performed using a quadruped robot equipped with a rotating environmental sensing module, enabling measurements in confined and unstable areas. Results reveal strong thermal inertia, persistently high relative humidity frequently approaching saturation, low and intermittent natural ventilation, and sustained internal wall moisture. These conditions are consistent with observed material decay and internal landslides. The monitoring with quadruped robot proved particularly valuable for identifying localized humidity pockets and stagnant air zones beyond the reach of fixed sensors. The study demonstrates how different solutions for monitoring can support preventive conservation strategies for subterranean heritage, providing a scalable framework for early risk detection and informed management decisions.

Monitoring is frequently used to study landslides (instabilities in soil and rock slopes) and to manage the risk when a focused mechanism is underway. To date, most of the so-called ‘geotechnical sensors’ and some surveying systems must be installed manually on the landslide body. In some scenarios this installation phase may imply a high risk for operators. To overcome these issues, we developed a simple system to install wireless sensors by means of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which is presented in the paper along with the tests carried out. Concretely, we deployed several wireless precision tiltmeters able to acquire and transmit attitude readings using LOng-RAnge communication capability. The experiments were conducted in an area of paramount geomechanical and societal interest: the Montserrat massif (Barcelona, Spain), threatened by medium-to-large rockfalls. The procedure to attach the sensor to the UAV, release it, and glue it to the ground is described. Some of the results and issues that emerged are also presented and discussed. The tests show that the installation of sensors with UAVs can complement the monitoring techniques already available in the aforementioned special situations. The UAV-enabled deployment method should be considered as a means to speed up the availability of real-time data to monitor critical, hazardous situations.

Cultural heritage assets are exposed to diverse environmental, structural, geological, biological, and anthropogenic threats, yet IoT monitoring strategies remain largely site-specific. This study presents and validates the ARGUS framework, a threat-oriented methodology that defines monitoring requirements according to deterioration mechanisms rather than monument typology. The framework integrates heritage characterization, risk assessment, threat-to-sensor mapping, and IoT deployment and was evaluated across five contrasting European heritage sites. Priority threats identified through preliminary risk assessment were compared with evidence obtained from environmental, structural, and operational monitoring. The results showed strong correspondence between the anticipated threats and the deterioration processes observed during monitoring, while also enabling their relative importance to be reassessed. Cross-site comparison revealed recurring relationships between environmental forcing and material or structural responses and showed that heritage assets affected by similar deterioration mechanisms required comparable sensor configurations despite differences in typology, materials, and geographical setting. These recurring configurations were consolidated into transferable monitoring packages addressing moisture, climatic exposure, structural stability, pollution, and operational pressures. The ARGUS framework therefore provides a scalable approach for translating conservation risks into targeted monitoring strategies, supporting risk-informed preventive conservation across heterogeneous cultural heritage contexts.