Fenix (Artificial Intelligence and new technologies applied to prevention and management of fires and natural disasters in movable and immovable Cultural Heritage) & Art-Risk (Artificial Intelligence applied to preventive conservation of heritage buildings)
Fenix
The main objective of this research project Artificial Intelligence and new technologies applied to prevention and management of fires and natural disasters in movable and immovable Cultural Heritage, is to investigate and develop protocols based on Artificial Intelligence, Good Management Practice, Georeferenced Information System and Information and communications technology for Cultural Heritage (CH) protection and conservation in integrated multi-hazard scenarios, to be employed by local governments and CH managers for decision-making in preventive conservation to prioritize strategies and emergency preparedness for likely disasters.
Historical cities, their monuments and their movable works of arts suffer the dramatic consequences of Climate Changes, wars, earthquakes, floods, etc. Furthermore, the risk of fire and pollution are increasing due to long periods of drought. CH is also in risk due to demographic movements, tourism or social agents. Though real conditions overlap effects of long-term environmental processes and short-term natural/anthropogenic disasters on the holistic life of monuments, an interdisciplinary and multi-hazard approach are rarely considered. The novelty of this challenge lies in a new interdisciplinary approach for integrated multi-hazard assessment that allows the safeguard of our movable and immovable CH that avoids: 1) decline of physical and social values, 2) losses of monuments or masterpieces art-works; 3) failure in local commerce and enterprise depending on tourism; 4) lack of the opportunity to enjoy our CH.
FENIX design is based on previous excellent researches and know-how from different disciplines and integrates them in a collaborative, transnational, interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, reflexive and innovative project. Indeed, FENIX staff includes a variety of experts with 15 different profiles coming from various disciplines of hard sciences with experience in diagnosis of CH (chemistry, biology, environmental science, etc.), architects and civil-building engineering, ICT profiles (mathematics, computer sciences, etc.), public sector management and humanities (art history, geography, restoration/conservation, etc.) that will give their opinions to build up the new tools with DELPHI methodology.
FENIX expected results are strategies for movable and immovable CH in rural and urban zones such us:
- Local and regional protection pilot plans in cases of disasters (floods, fires, earthquake, etc.) to minimize the damage.
- Protocols and tools (on-line free software) based on artificial intelligence and DELPHI methodology to prioritize preventive conservation and restorations. These tools based on fuzzy logic (by Xfuzzy 3.3) include risk and resilience assessments.
- Actions plan to manage the emergency and post-emergency (First Aid for CH and resilience protocols) developed in collaboration with CH managers and rescue bodies.
- An interdisciplinary open-access platform: International Observatory on the Effects of Climate Change, Environmental Emergencies and Armed Conflicts on CH.
In summary, FENIX is an interdisciplinary project, which main impact is to help the local stakeholders and government organizations to improve the knowledge of risk management for CH conservation and, therefore diminishing the likelihood of losses of CH and tourism.
Art-Risk
The main objective of the research project "Artificial intelligence applied to preventive conservation of heritage buildings" (Art-Risk) is to investigate and develop a new computerized tool for preventive conservation of heritage in urban centers based on models of artificial intelligence. Art-Risk will be available to organizations and companies dedicated to the restoration and rehabilitation.
Developing this new method of vulnerability and risk analysis applied to Monuments implies to meet in the project a multidisciplinary team specialized in the protection and conservation of Heritage. Art-Risk team is researchers and professionals of the following fields of knowledge: Chemistry, Architecture, Archaeology, conservators, art history, geology, biology, mathematics and computer science.
The novelty of this challenge lies in its approach and results, free software to evaluate decisions in regional policies, planning and management of Heritage, with a transversal development that includes urban, architectural, cultural heritage value, and the analysis of environmental and socio-demographic situation around the monuments. This new tool will allow performing decision-making based on scientific criteria and minimize risks of losses cultural assets.
This project will develop a new predictive model based on fuzzy logic (by Xfuzzy 3.3), which for the first time includes a multi-scenario study, assessing environmental risks and climate change, the use level of buildings and structural risks together with historical data from monuments life, through historical series, pre-vulnerability matrices (array cluster) will allow to weight the involvement degree of each variable. Two types of Monuments (very common in Spain) will be study (churches, walls and bastions). The validation of these two models-types will be performed by a blinded inter-laboratory diagnostic exercise in order to establish whether the prediction approaches the decision of separated workgroups.
The expected result is a new Artificial Intelligence program that enables users to reproduce human reasoning to study relations between vulnerability factors, risk factors and the historical parameters of the monument by fuzzy sets theory. All results will be available and will be included in a free application for general public, administrations in charge of cultural management and preservation, and companies engaged in rehabilitation. Moreover this system will grow up with the users’ inputs and will be retro-fed in a continuous cycle of improvement.
The work plan has its own objective of dissemination and transfer, this aims will be developed by international senior researchers (Ph.D.) and professionals of cultural managements and preservation from various countries.
