Cultural Landscape Risk Identification, Management and Assessment Project Proposal

The project proposal Cultural Landscape Risk Identification, Management and Assessment (acronym CLIMA) has been selected for funding under the Joint Program Initiative targeting Cultural Heritage (JPICH, http://www.jpi-culturalheritage.eu).

The CLIMA proposal addresses the major factors of risk affecting European landscapes and landscape elements, including both standing monuments and buried archaeological sites. This is achieved by developing and integrating new and existing remote sensing technologies from satellite, aerial/UAV platforms and ground-based systems.

CLIMA focuses on the design and development of a multitask platform, combining advanced remote sensing technologies (both satellite and ground-based), and applying GIS tools for the mapping and long-term monitoring of archaeological cultural landscapes. The aim is to identify changes caused by climate change and anthropogenic pressures.

The project also targets the development and testing of an innovative ground-based gamma spectrometer to measure vertical and lateral soil disturbances.

The effectiveness of the CLIMA platform will be demonstrated through field campaigns across several case studies in Italy, Cyprus and England.

The CLIMA platform will support national and local authorities responsible for cultural heritage, enabling them to implement effective planning and preservation policies for preventive maintenance of archaeological landscapes.

The project is coordinated by University “La Tuscia” in Viterbo, Italy, and includes:

• ALMA Sistemi s.a.s. – Italy

• University of Stirling – United Kingdom

• Technical University of Cyprus – Limassol, Cyprus

• University of Copenhagen – Denmark

The total project duration is 36 months.