Digital Imaging and Related Remote Diagnostics: New Tools to Support, Safeguard and Address the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

Cultural Heritage objects located in turbulent areas with a significant risk of terrorist attacks or inside a war zone are at risk of suffering damages similar to those in scenarios of severe seismic events, which are associated with partial or total building collapse and the subsequent need for monitoring, consolidation and successive reconstruction. To this end the availability of digital data collected by optical and spectroscopic laser scanners before the catastrophic event and stored as digital high resolution 2D and 3D maps can be a unique valuable support for future reconstruction. Conversely, continuous fiber glass monitoring may ensure reference data to evaluate the event impact and aid in planning consolidation. Examples of successful application of high-performance ENEA laser scanner prototypes in central Italy on monuments exposed to severe seismic risk are reported so as to illustrate the importance of storing quality 3D optical data before the event. The importance of fiber sensor monitoring during and after a seismic event in the same area is also shown from the collected data. Different examples of 3D reconstructions based on optical and spectroscopic data obtained within regional projects dealing with archaeological fragments (Roman frescoes and relief sculpture) are discussed, as regards their use in reconstructing from fragments in the aftermath of a catastrophic event.