Cultural Heritage Protection

Rising seas and land subsidence threaten Arctic heritage sites such as Svalbard’s Hiorthhamn Coal Cableway Station. CIRIS combines satellite observations with sea-level and flood modelling to produce risk maps that guide protection of these vulnerable coastal areas.

Copernicus EMS Risk & Recovery Mapping (EMSN128) produced multi-hazard risk maps (wildfire, floods, earthquakes, landslides, soil erosion) and evacuation plans for Delphi and Ancient Olympia, helping Greece’s Civil Protection improve preparedness and protect visitors and heritage.

This use case shows how the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) supports analysis of subtle land subsidence and uplift in cities, helping identify areas where buildings, roads and rail can be at risk. Using satellite InSAR ground-motion data, stakeholders can target inspections and plan mitigation.

The CHERISH Good Practice Guide draws on lessons from Ireland–Wales fieldwork to provide a practical “toolkit” of 15 methods (air, land and sea) for surveying and monitoring climate impacts on coastal and maritime heritage—helping teams select techniques, plan surveys, and record consistent baseline data.

Historic Environment Scotland uses satellite navigation and Earth-observation data to map coastal erosion and monitor vulnerable heritage sites. Volunteer app surveys (SCHARP) and the Dynamic Coast programme combine Sentinel imagery with historic maps to identify “sites at risk” and prioritise interventions.

Mapmaker Hans Hack transformed UNOSAT’s satellite-based damage assessments of Aleppo (2010–2016) into powerful visualisations. By overlaying the scale of destruction on familiar landmarks, the project helps wider audiences grasp the human and heritage impact of conflict.