Periodic Reporting for period 1 - THETIDA (Technologies and methods for improved resilience and sustainable preservation of underwater and coastal cultural heritage to cope with climate change, natural hazards and environmental pollution)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-05-01 bis 2024-04-30
THETIDA project will perform combined environmental and damage assessment at seven pilot sites across European continent, based on the following objectives:
• Technical Objective: Contribute to safeguarding and protecting Europe’s coastal and underwater cultural heritage from the effects of climate change and natural hazards by exploiting cutting-edge monitoring technologies for addressing multi-hazard risk understanding, better preparedness, faster, adapted and efficient response.
• Scientific and Innovation Objective: Promote, test and demonstrate innovative and sustainable modelling tools and a decision support system to protect cultural heritage and cultural landscapes from climate change, disaster risks and pollutants, as well as to respond efficiently to those risks in case of emergency.
• Impact Objective: Actively engage diverse community groups, stakeholders and participants in participatory and inclusive data acquisition, co-creation and co-design processes through citizen science and participatory Living Lab methodologies to identify the values of maritime heritage, to understand the risks, monitor the changes and document the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on the maritime heritage.
• Technical Objective: Contribute to safeguarding and protecting Europe’s coastal and underwater cultural heritage from the effects of climate change and natural hazards by exploiting cutting-edge monitoring technologies for addressing multi-hazard risk understanding, better preparedness, faster, adapted and efficient response.
• Scientific and Innovation Objective: Promote, test and demonstrate innovative and sustainable modelling tools and a decision support system to protect cultural heritage and cultural landscapes from climate change, disaster risks and pollutants, as well as to respond efficiently to those risks in case of emergency.
• Impact Objective: Actively engage diverse community groups, stakeholders and participants in participatory and inclusive data acquisition, co-creation and co-design processes through citizen science and participatory Living Lab methodologies to identify the values of maritime heritage, to understand the risks, monitor the changes and document the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on the maritime heritage.
During the first reporting period, THETIDA project is on track to achieve its objectives delivering the following outcomes:
•THETIDA project framework & conceptualization has been successfully completed. The activities focused on the identification of user best practices, needs, and requirements, the definition of assets and interdependencies, the derivation of technical specifications, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Based on the above the high-level architectural framework of the THETIDA system has been designed, which specifies the modules and tools to be developed in project activities and the information model for data sharing among these modules, external tools, and systems.
•The activities focusing on the development of monitoring and prediction tools is currently ongoing and comprise of Earth observation, Remote, and geospatial services and the development of Crowdsourcing & Citizens’ Science tools. These include the development of in-situ sensing tools, focusing on underwater (smart buoy, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, wearable and hand held sensors operated by divers, boat sensors) and coastal environment (smart tags, micro-weather stations). During the first reporting period the first prototypes of these services have been designed and are currently under development while remote sensing services are initially tested at pilot sites.
•The Development of participatory and crowdsourcing tools, which are embodied by an innovative Living Lab methodology, and associated education and training activities are designed and are under implementation in all the THETIDA pilot sites. The establishment of local Living Lab ecosystems with the relevant stakeholder and community groups, has been completed. Training workshops have also been carried out to educate and train the local ecosystems on citizen science and crowdsourcing through newly developed training material delivered through a training workshop.
•The Development of Models and Interactive Digital Platform activities is currently ongoing and during the first reporting period work focused on a) sampling in different sites and field campaigns to characterize and evaluate material degradation. b) Development of a methodology to evaluate the impact of hazards in CH, considering vulnerability, to create risk metrics for THETIDA pilot sites.
•THETIDA project framework & conceptualization has been successfully completed. The activities focused on the identification of user best practices, needs, and requirements, the definition of assets and interdependencies, the derivation of technical specifications, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Based on the above the high-level architectural framework of the THETIDA system has been designed, which specifies the modules and tools to be developed in project activities and the information model for data sharing among these modules, external tools, and systems.
•The activities focusing on the development of monitoring and prediction tools is currently ongoing and comprise of Earth observation, Remote, and geospatial services and the development of Crowdsourcing & Citizens’ Science tools. These include the development of in-situ sensing tools, focusing on underwater (smart buoy, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, wearable and hand held sensors operated by divers, boat sensors) and coastal environment (smart tags, micro-weather stations). During the first reporting period the first prototypes of these services have been designed and are currently under development while remote sensing services are initially tested at pilot sites.
•The Development of participatory and crowdsourcing tools, which are embodied by an innovative Living Lab methodology, and associated education and training activities are designed and are under implementation in all the THETIDA pilot sites. The establishment of local Living Lab ecosystems with the relevant stakeholder and community groups, has been completed. Training workshops have also been carried out to educate and train the local ecosystems on citizen science and crowdsourcing through newly developed training material delivered through a training workshop.
•The Development of Models and Interactive Digital Platform activities is currently ongoing and during the first reporting period work focused on a) sampling in different sites and field campaigns to characterize and evaluate material degradation. b) Development of a methodology to evaluate the impact of hazards in CH, considering vulnerability, to create risk metrics for THETIDA pilot sites.
The impact of the THETIDA project activities and outcomes during the first period can be summarised as follows:
• A solid and comprehensive framework that guides the entire THETIDA project has been designed, ensuring alignment with user needs, technical coherence, and robust development practices. This foundational work is critical for the successful implementation and long-term sustainability of the THETIDA platform, ultimately contributing to the effective preservation and management of coastal and underwater cultural heritage.
• Environmental monitoring activities will benefit from the low-cost solutions such as remote sensing and novel methodologies for coastal erosion, land deformation, flood mapping, land use changes that will enhance the impact through scientific publications and open source code availability in repositories. Deployment of in-situ underwater/coastal sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles and smart buoys will promote a key technology system to monitor and assess the impact of global climate change, natural hazards, and pollution drivers on the ecology and environment of the heritage sites.
• The participatory Living Lab Dialogues, training workshops and crowdsourcing activities planned and currently being employed, actively engaging multiple stakeholders, end users and community groups into participatory and impact assessment, training and capacity building, and action planning to build a roadmap for the active monitoring, protection and sustainable development of underwater and coastal cultural heritage sites. The completed and ongoing activities contribute to a high societal impact reaching, involving and engaging a wide range of target groups for the active monitoring and protection of the heritage sites; as well as raising awareness, educating and building capacity across multiple sectors and actors.
• The assessment and management of underwater and coastal cultural heritage is advanced by new technologies that are expected to produce a last-longing social and economic impact on the preservation and safeguarding of underwater and coastal cultural heritage. A database of material degradation and protective measures will produce an important impact on the ability of protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage. This is coupled by mathematical models developed to evaluate the impact of environmental variables and thresholds on heritage sites, allowing the creation of risk maps for different conditions and respective impacts on the heritage sites.
• A solid and comprehensive framework that guides the entire THETIDA project has been designed, ensuring alignment with user needs, technical coherence, and robust development practices. This foundational work is critical for the successful implementation and long-term sustainability of the THETIDA platform, ultimately contributing to the effective preservation and management of coastal and underwater cultural heritage.
• Environmental monitoring activities will benefit from the low-cost solutions such as remote sensing and novel methodologies for coastal erosion, land deformation, flood mapping, land use changes that will enhance the impact through scientific publications and open source code availability in repositories. Deployment of in-situ underwater/coastal sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles and smart buoys will promote a key technology system to monitor and assess the impact of global climate change, natural hazards, and pollution drivers on the ecology and environment of the heritage sites.
• The participatory Living Lab Dialogues, training workshops and crowdsourcing activities planned and currently being employed, actively engaging multiple stakeholders, end users and community groups into participatory and impact assessment, training and capacity building, and action planning to build a roadmap for the active monitoring, protection and sustainable development of underwater and coastal cultural heritage sites. The completed and ongoing activities contribute to a high societal impact reaching, involving and engaging a wide range of target groups for the active monitoring and protection of the heritage sites; as well as raising awareness, educating and building capacity across multiple sectors and actors.
• The assessment and management of underwater and coastal cultural heritage is advanced by new technologies that are expected to produce a last-longing social and economic impact on the preservation and safeguarding of underwater and coastal cultural heritage. A database of material degradation and protective measures will produce an important impact on the ability of protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage. This is coupled by mathematical models developed to evaluate the impact of environmental variables and thresholds on heritage sites, allowing the creation of risk maps for different conditions and respective impacts on the heritage sites.