Preservation of Villages in Central Italy: Geomatic Techniques’ Integration and GIS Strategies for the Post-Earthquake Assessment

Abstract

Historical villages represent a highly vulnerable cultural heritage; their preservation can be ensured thanks to technological innovations in the field of geomatics and information systems. Among these, Geographical Information Systems (GISs) allow exploiting heterogeneous data for efficient vulnerability assessment, in terms of both time and usability. Geometric attributes, which currently are mainly inferred by visual inspections, can be extrapolated from data obtained by geomatic technologies. Furthermore, the integration with non-metric data ensures a more complete description of the post-seismic risk thematic mapping. In this paper, a high-performance information system for small urban realities, such as historical villages, is described, starting from the 3D survey obtained through the integrated management of recent innovative geomatic sensors, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLSs), and 360º images. The results show that the proposed strategy of the automatic extraction of the parameters from the GIS can be generalized to other case studies, thus representing a straightforward method to enhance the decision-making of public administrations. Moreover, this work confirms the importance of managing heterogeneous geospatial data to speed up the vulnerability assessment process. The final result, in fact, is an information system that can be used for every village where data have been acquired in a similar way. This information could be used in the field by means of a GIS app that allows updating the geospatial database, improving the work of technicians. This approach was validated in Gabbiano(Pieve Torina), a village in Central Italy affected by earthquakes in 2016 and 2017.

Digitalization and Spatial Documentation of Post-Earthquake Temporary Housing in Central Italy: An Integrated Geomatic Approach Involving UAV and a GIS-Based System

“…Many studies and applications that utilize photogrammetric techniques tend to focus on the existing historical damaged urban context, rather than capturing the urban changes resulting from emergency responses. As a result, attention is now shifting from traditional satellite-based approaches for emergency mappings [49,50] to integrated dronebased photogrammetry surveys [19]. These surveys can assist in identifying collapsed building roofs debris in the vicinity, or assessing the levels of structural damage through oblique perspective of building facades, including facades themselves [51].…”

“…Scholars are increasingly interested in post-disaster recovery and temporary housing [2,[6][7][8], with a focus on developing sustainable solutions [9][10][11], examining socioeconomic impacts [12,13], improving decision-making methods [14][15][16], and broadening knowledge of components and processes [14,17]. Many studies highlight the importance of analytical and numerical methods in facilitating specific actions for assessing damage and ensuring safety (e.g., AEDES sheets) [18,19]. However, the majority of research that proposes multiscalar and interdisciplinary approaches during emergency phases focuses on historical centres and the vulnerabilities of masonry building aggregates, adopting integrated methodologies for data acquisition and information management.…”

“…To accurately describe the topography of temporary settlements, DSM and DTM raster layers were used with QGIS tools and algorithms, which allowed for the definition of contour lines and extraction of heights for the emergency buildings and retaining walls. For example, the QGIS "zonal statistics" algorithm was used to estimate elevation metrics, providing various statistics for each zone of a polygonal vector layer based on the raster layer values within those zones [19]. The calculation of building height was determined by the difference between the median DSM value and the minimum DTM value.…”

“…For example, the QGIS "zonal statistics" algorithm was used to estimate elevation metrics, providing various statistics for each zone of a polygonal vector layer based on the raster layer values within those zones [19]. The calculation of building height was determined by the difference between the median DSM value and the minimum DTM value.…”

VGI and Satellite Imagery Integration for Crisis Mapping of Flood Events

“…These types of applications have already been exploited in, e.g., archaeological studies [41,42], management of heritage assets and infrastructure [43][44][45], cataloguing of agricultural spaces [46], and environmental issues [47,48]. Examples of their use in studies on natural risks, such as landslides [49,50], earthquakes [51] and floods [52,53], were presented in the literature as well.…”