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Preserving cultural heritage sites—particularly those located in remote or infrastructure-poor environments—presents a distinct set of challenges. Traditional conservation approaches often rely on reactive measures, intervening only after deterioration becomes visible.
The ARGUS project introduces an innovative, sensor-driven framework for preventive preservation, enabling continuous monitoring and early intervention. This approach marks a transformative shift towards proactive and data-informed heritage conservation.
A Preventive Approach to Heritage Protection
Preventive preservation is central to the ARGUS methodology. Rather than responding to damage, the system identifies, monitors, and mitigates potential threats before they compromise a site’s integrity. By integrating advanced sensing technologies with risk-informed design principles, ARGUS allows conservators to anticipate degradation and make timely, evidence-based decisions. This approach is particularly critical for remote heritage sites, where accessibility limitations and infrastructural constraints often hinder routine inspection and maintenance.
The Threat-to-Sensor Mapping Framework
At the heart of ARGUS lies a unique threat-to-sensor mapping methodology, which aligns specific environmental or structural threats with suitable sensor technologies.
The process unfolds in four distinct stages:
- Threat Identification – Each site undergoes a comprehensive risk assessment based on historical data, expert consultation, and diagnostic studies to identify key degradation mechanisms such as freeze–thaw cycles, biological growth, or structural deformation.
- Risk Prioritisation – Threats are ranked according to urgency, potential impact, and feasibility of monitoring, ensuring efficient resource allocation.
- Sensor-Parameter Matching – Physical proxies for each identified threat (such as temperature, humidity, vibration, or light intensity) are matched with appropriate sensor types.
- Deployment Modelling – Installation logistics, energy autonomy, and data transmission pathways are designed to ensure minimal interference with heritage structures while maintaining monitoring reliability.
This modular approach allows ARGUS to develop tailored preservation strategies that are both context-specific and scalable.
Implementation Across European Pilot Sites
ARGUS has tested its framework across five diverse European heritage sites, each representing unique conservation challenges:
- Delos Island (Greece): A remote archaeological site exposed to UV radiation and salt-laden humidity. Energy-autonomous, solar-powered sensors using LoRaWAN communication were installed to monitor environmental fluctuations.
- Sant’Antonio di Ranverso Abbey (Italy): A historic site affected by rising damp and temperature instability. Non-invasive sensors monitor microclimatic variations impacting frescoes and wooden artworks.
- Baltanás Cellar Town (Spain): Underground heritage structures vulnerable to microbial growth and structural stress. Air quality and vibration sensors enable detection of early signs of deterioration.
- Monti Lucretili Upland Landscape (Italy): Natural and built heritage exposed to root pressure and soil movement. GNSS sensors, tiltmeters, and imaging devices provide real-time geomorphological data.
- Schenkenberg Castle (Switzerland): A hilltop ruin threatened by freeze–thaw cycles. Crackmeters and thermistors are used to track temperature-induced expansion and contraction.
Each deployment demonstrates the adaptability of the threat-to-sensor approach to diverse environmental contexts and heritage typologies.
Sensor Selection and Technical Architecture
Sensors were chosen according to five main criteria:
- Threat relevance – ensuring precise alignment with preservation risks.
- Material compatibility – using reversible, non-invasive installation methods.
- Energy autonomy – incorporating solar panels and long-life batteries for off-grid operation.
- Connectivity – deploying LoRaWAN and hybrid networks for reliable, low-power communication.
- Ease of maintenance – ensuring low recalibration needs and long-term durability.
Data transmission infrastructures were customised for each site, combining energy-efficient wireless networks with robust data logging systems. This ensures continuous, reliable data streams even in isolated or topographically complex locations.
From Monitoring to Decision Support
ARGUS not only generates continuous environmental data but also integrates these insights into broader heritage management strategies. The project is developing workflows to link sensor outputs with digital interpretation models and decision-support tools. This integration aims to enhance predictive preservation capabilities, allowing stakeholders to visualise long-term degradation trends and to plan interventions based on objective, data-driven evidence.
Future Perspectives
As the project evolves, ARGUS will expand its framework to include additional heritage asset types and environmental contexts. Future work will focus on:
- Validating the long-term stability of sensor systems.
- Refining AI-based anomaly detection for early warnings.
- Developing a replicable protocol for sensor deployment in other cultural heritage contexts.
Ultimately, ARGUS’s sensor-driven preventive preservation model serves as a blueprint for sustainable, technology-enhanced heritage protection—empowering conservators to safeguard cultural assets in even the most challenging environments.