Table Of ContentSpringer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry
Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis · Kyriacos Themistocleous
Branka Cuca · Athos Agapiou
Vasiliki Lysandrou · Rosa Lasaponara
Nicola Masini · Gunter Schreier Editors
Remote Sensing
for Archaeology
and Cultural
Landscapes
Best Practices and Perspectives Across
Europe and the Middle East
Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10182
Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis
Kyriacos Themistocleous • Branka Cuca
Athos Agapiou • Vasiliki Lysandrou
Rosa Lasaponara • Nicola Masini • Gunter Schreier
Editors
Remote Sensing for
Archaeology and Cultural
Landscapes
Best Practices and Perspectives Across
Europe and the Middle East
Editors
Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis Kyriacos Themistocleous
Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering
and Geomatics and Geomatics
Faculty of Engineering and Technology Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Cyprus University of Technology Cyprus University of Technology
Limassol, Cyprus Limassol, Cyprus
Branka Cuca Athos Agapiou
Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering
and Geomatics and Geomatics
Faculty of Engineering and Technology Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Cyprus University of Technology Cyprus University of Technology
Limassol, Cyprus Limassol, Cyprus
Vasiliki Lysandrou Rosa Lasaponara
Department of Civil Engineering Institute of Methodologies for
and Geomatics Environmental Analysis
Faculty of Engineering and Technology CNR-IMAA (Italy)
Cyprus University of Technology Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy
Limassol, Cyprus
Gunter Schreier
Nicola Masini Earth Observation Center (EOC)
Institute of Archaeological and Monumental German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Heritage Wessling, Germany
CNR-IBAM (Italy)
Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy
ISSN 2198-0721 ISSN 2198-073X (electronic)
Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry
ISBN 978-3-030-10978-3 ISBN 978-3-030-10979-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10979-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019933914
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors
or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims
in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
Description and Purpose of the Work
Thanks to powerful search engines and innovative geo-portals able to display
satellite imagery to the general public upon a click, the way we perceive and experi-
ence space technologies and their products has irreversibly changed in the last few
decades. The new generations of satellites orbiting around the Earth are now being
designed considering not only technology-driven possibilities, but also realistic
user-driven necessities by providing a complete and timely coverage of the planet
for research and monitoring purposes, in case of natural hazards and other emergen-
cies. The next questions are why and how could information from satellites have a
greater impact on research and business and on society today? And more specifi-
cally, what could be the outcome of this impact on our cultural heritage, including
archaeological findings and cultural landscapes?
This book aims to investigate the potential value that satellite technologies and
remote sensing (RS) could provide for a more sustainable mapping, monitoring, and
management of heritage sites, be it for purposes of regular maintenance or for risk
mitigation in case of natural or man-caused hazards. The framework of the publica-
tion is enhanced by recent events during armed conflicts in the Middle East, and the
renewed attention of public administration toward the importance of international
collaboration when it comes to the protection and conservation of cultural heritage
and common values.
The first goal of this book is to provide a clear overview on policy perspective,
regarding both space policy and heritage policy, and to provide possible sugges-
tions for common ground of these two fields, both globally and in Europe (chapter
“Opportunities by the Copernicus Program for Archaeological Research and World
Heritage Site Conservation”). The decision-making process related to conservation
and protection of heritage, especially in cases of emergency, involves considerations
of technical preparation, economic feasibility, geo-environmental sustainability and
cultural and social values. For this reason, interdisciplinary collaborations and inter-
national efforts are required both in policy planning and in the research and innova-
tion projects that focus on remote sensing for cultural heritage and landscapes.
v
vi Preface
The second goal of this book is to summarize and update information regarding
the advancements in theory of remote sensing. Here, the focus is given to the
advancements of technologies and improvements of algorithms that can provide
new answers and innovative chain processes for problem-solving regarding heritage
detection, geometric documentation, and protection (chapter “Recent Destructions
in Palmyra, Syria: Looting and Illegal Antiquities Trade”).
Our third goal is to provide an overview of cutting-edge applications on the real-
case scenarios across Europe and the Middle East region (chapter “Advancements in
Earth Observations for Archaeology”). In addition to the illustration of interesting
applications, the aim of this chapter is to provide professionals who are not necessar-
ily experts in geomatics (such as archaeologists, landscape experts, and architects but
also public administration) with a clear picture on the full potential of RS and geo-
graphic information science and on their concrete contribution when it comes to
tackling the challenges that affect heritage maintenance and protection. This chapter
will also look into social and educational impacts that such an integrated approach
could have on our society in geographic areas and on generations to come.
Another aim is to shed light on the importance of the in situ techniques (chapter
“Automatic Change Detection from High-Resolution Satellite Imagery”) and how
these contribute to a better understanding of satellite image-based analysis, i.e., such
techniques provide valuable inputs for calibration, assessment, and interpretation of the
results. The focus will be given to ground-penetrating radar (GPR), spectroradiometry,
and other techniques applied in the case studies across Europe and in the region.
We believe that by advocating an integrated approach, it will be possible to better
understand and share interests of different stakeholders. Therefore, this book intends
to raise awareness about the value of heritage as both a cultural and economic asset,
to provide illustration of solutions that could avoid any further loss of such a pre-
cious resource, and to propose RS technologies as a standard in a common method-
ology for action in case such loss should occur, for either natural or man-induced
hazards, including armed conflicts and war. Overall, our hope is that this book facil-
itates national and international policy directions and future research projects by
providing a number of examples of already existing methods, applications, and ser-
vices that can be translated into information that is useful in decision-making pro-
cesses. We are confident that bringing together innovation technology, concrete
applications and political judgment can lead to a more complete vision of cultural
heritage as a resource for future development of our society as a whole.
Limassol, Cyprus Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis
Limassol, Cyprus Kyriacos Themistocleous
Limassol, Cyprus Branka Cuca
Limassol, Cyprus Athos Agapiou
Limassol, Cyprus Vasiliki Lysandrou
Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy Rosa Lasaponara
Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy Nicola Masini
Wessling, Germany Gunter Schreier
Preface 1: Policy Perspective and Future
Challenges
The possibilities that novel RS technologies can bring to society and to the cultural
heritage sector seem to be well perceived by European policies, including the
Valletta Convention (1995), Florence Convention (2000), and INSPIRE Directive.
A significant “shift of scale” and tendency to observe landscapes and archaeo-
landscapes, as a whole, is occurring not only traditionally in research practice but
also in terms of territorial management and site protection. The direct link between
space technologies and World Heritage Sites began in 2003, when UNESCO and
European Space Agency (ESA) launched an “Open Initiative on the Use of Space
Technologies to Support the World Heritage Convention.” Fifteen years later, in its
most recent communication regarding culture “Towards an EU strategy for inter-
national cultural relations,” European Commission states its strong commitment
for international collaboration when it comes to protection of cultural heritage,
identifying Copernicus Emergency Management Service as the service that should
majorly support this commitment by providing satellite imagery of cultural heritage
sites at risk. Such a reference could be considered as the first official example that
connects an Earth observation program (and hence, potential services and prod-
ucts derived from satellite RS technologies) with the domain of systematic moni-
toring, protection, and risk assessment of heritage sites. Chapter “Opportunities
by the Copernicus Program for Archaeological Research and World Heritage Site
Conservation” examines this scenario, providing an insight on the European space
policy, on the most recent tendencies regarding heritage protection, and on the future
possibilities for these two worlds to coexist in a common geopolitical framework.
This chapter examines the importance of cultural heritage monitoring to be
included as a Copernicus service. Satellite data can assist in monitoring destruction
of historic sites through conflict and natural disasters. The destruction and looting
vii
viii Preface 1: Policy Perspective and Future Challenges
of cultural heritage and antiquities in Palmyra has resulted in the illegal sale of
priceless antiquities. However, there are no policies currently in place on how to
limit the illegal trade in cultural heritage and to educate the public so they will not
purchase illegally exported antiquities.
Wessling, Germany Gunter Schreier
Vienna, Austria Andreas Schmidt-Colinet
Preface 2: Remote Sensing: Advancements
in Theory
Data regarding changes on the Earth surface has been increasing in both quantity
and quality over the past few decades. The latest generation of European satel-
lites of the Copernicus program, for example, provide a continuous coverage of
Earth’s surface with instruments that include both radar and optical sensors. Also,
techniques for image processing are in continuous evolvement due to higher com-
puting power and more robust algorithms. Advancements in remote sensing for
cultural heritage and archaeology are driven by the necessity for a progressively
better interpretation of information – scientists continue to have a desire to see
“better” and “more,” including detecting the features buried under the ground.
This chapter focuses on the achievements in terms of innovative methodologies
and algorithm development that are useful for better mapping of cultural heritage,
including archaeological findings above and below the ground, and for identifica-
tion and monitoring of risks to heritage sites such as geo-hazards, lack of mainte-
nance, and looting.
Chapter “Recent Destructions in Palmyra, Syria: Looting and Illegal Antiquities
Trade” examines various advancements in remote sensing that can be used for cul-
tural heritage documentation and multitemporal monitoring. The use of digital tech-
nology in archaeology is examined as a technique to enhance knowledge and
document cultural heritage sites as well as to support management and monitoring.
The advantage of digital techniques is their capability to provide a huge amount of
information in noninvasive, nondestructive ways, while protecting and preserving
cultural heritage. The use of automatic change detection from high-resolution satel-
lite imagery is an advancement that has been used in several of the case studies in
ix
