Technological Innovation
Innovative Tools
for Heritage
Drone sensing and artificial intelligence for archaeology
From multisensor drone surveys to predictive models: data that becomes decisions.
ES has always pursued an approach in cultural heritage projects that integrates technology and innovation in service of protection and enhancement.
In the field of preventive archaeology design, these principles are applied through advanced drone surveys, multisensor analysis, and artificial intelligence.
This is not technology for its own sake: it is a way to reduce risks, accelerate timelines, and make more solid decisions based on data.
The result is richer knowledge of the territory, obtained sooner and better, to the benefit of designers, heritage authorities, and investors.
Remote and proximal sensing from drones
UAV platforms allow us to “read” the terrain and hidden structures without invasive interventions, combining multiple sensors in a single campaign that capture complementary information.
The process
We plan missions based on context and objectives, acquire data with centimeter-accurate GNSS/RTK positioning, process the data with established workflows, and—the decisive step—interpret anomalies with a multisensor and probabilistic method: evidence becomes reliable when independent signals (morphological, spectral, thermal) converge at the same point. It is this intersection of data that makes the difference between a generic indication and usable knowledge.
Artificial intelligence and predictive models
Where sensing tells us what we observe, predictive models help us understand where to look. We apply machine learning techniques to predictive models designed for archaeology: we integrate environmental, morphological, and archaeological factors of a territory into a structured geodatabase (terrain morphology and visibility, natural travel corridors, geology, hydrography, soil characteristics) and relate them to known evidence to estimate the potential presence of still-unknown evidence, producing probability maps that guide investigations.
Analisi multisensore da drone su cantieri ES: modello digitale di superficie da rilievo LiDAR (risoluzione 5 cm) e mappa dell’indice NDRE da rilievo multispettrale (elaborazioni ES).
Why it matters for clients
- Intelligent investigation priorities: effort is concentrated where needed, optimizing time and budget.
- Large-scale planning: ideal for extensive territories, where inspecting everything is unthinkable.
- Data-driven decisions: choices regarding protection, design, and enhancement rest on quantifiable and documented evidence.
Objectives and results
- Early identification of areas with potential archaeological interest, when the cost of design changes is still contained.
- Archaeological risk management: fewer unexpected findings on site, one of the main causes of work stoppages, variation assessments, and contractual delays.
- Regulatory compliance within the framework of preventive assessment of archaeological interest (Article 41 of Legislative Decree 36/2023), transforming a requirement into a real decision-making tool.
- A reusable data asset: orthophotos, terrain models, and maps that feed into design, interference management, and heritage documentation.