RESEARCH Project: Remote Sensing for Cultural Heritage Protection

The RESEARCH project focuses on the protection of Cultural Heritage sites through advanced remote sensing and GIS technologies.

Cultural Heritage sites, including landscapes, monuments and archaeological areas, are increasingly threatened by climate change, environmental processes and human activity. These risks can lead to soil erosion, land movement and land use changes that may damage important archaeological sites.

Risk Assessment for Archaeological Sites

The full title of the project is REmote SEnsing techniques for ARCHaeology.

The project develops and tests a new risk assessment methodology to evaluate threats affecting archaeological sites.

The methodology focuses on key hazards, including:

• soil erosion
• land movement
• land use change
• environmental degradation

By identifying these risks early, the project supports better planning, preventive maintenance and long-term preservation.

Earth Observation and GIS Technologies

The RESEARCH project combines Earth Observation, remote sensing data and GIS applications.

These technologies support the mapping and long-term monitoring of Cultural Heritage resources.

A key outcome of the project is a multi-task thematic platform. This platform provides authorities and stakeholders with an affordable digital tool for monitoring degradation and supporting risk-based decision-making.

GEOSYSTEMS HELLAS Role in RESEARCH

Within the RESEARCH project, GEOSYSTEMS HELLAS S.A. (GSH) monitors land and structural movements at Cultural Heritage sites.

GSH uses medium- to high-resolution SAR satellite data and interferometric techniques to generate:

• differential interferograms
• deformation maps
• surface velocity maps

These outputs improve the monitoring of Cultural Heritage sites and feed into the project’s risk assessment methodology.

Supporting Cultural Heritage Preservation

The RESEARCH project transforms hazard data into useful information for decision-making.

The final digital tool helps stakeholders assess risks, improve prevention strategies and reduce future restoration costs.

The RESEARCH project has been completed and was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 823987.