Objectives
These objectives will drive the project's progress and ensure focused efforts toward achieving its goals in strengthening cultural property protection and advancing research in Cyprus, the EMMENA region, and EU.
Strengthen the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the ECoE on CPP through partnerships in archaeological analysis exploiting AI-based approaches and criminology.
Research activities in CPP to strengthen the commitment and engagement of Twinning partners
Enhance and improve the research profiles and the creativity of the ECoE’s and other partners’ staff supported by the development of new approaches on EO for CPP
Capacity building of the ECoE’s staff and increased mobility (inwards and outwards) of qualified scientists on archaeological analysis and criminology for Cultural Property Protection
Enhance the research management and administration skills of the ECoE
New Capacity to train a new generation of scientist from Cyprus and the the EMMENA region
Facilitate the formulation of a collaboration plan for research activities on EO for CPP
Develop close ties between research organisations, academia, industry, and other end stakeholders
Expertise
The ECoE has a strong foundation in Earth Observation, covering areas like Environment & Climate and Marine Safety. However, to become a regional leader in Cultural Property Protection (CPP), it needs to enhance its skills in interpreting archaeological imagery, using AI for looting detection, and understanding related social and policy dimensions. Addressing these topics, ECoE will position itself at the forefront of cultural heritage preservation in the region.
Remote Sensing and Archaeological Analysis
Although ECoE personnel have a solid background and expertise in EO in several domains, it lacks fundamental knowledge in aerial and space-borne data processing for archaeological analysis and interpretation. The BSC's Computational Archaeology Team, with a long-lasting and established expertise in the domain, will contribute to the enrichment of the research skills of ECoE scientific personnel stimulating its innovation capacity, contributing to understanding and studying the plethora of methods of image processing for the identification of archaeological and looting features.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
In the last few years Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have become disciplines widely used in several research domains. They are rapidly being adopted also by archaeologists interested in analysing a range of geospatial, material cultural, textual, natural, and artistic data. These algorithms are particularly suited to rapid identification and classification of archaeological features and objects. The collaboration with the 3D Optical Metrology Unit (3DOM) of FBK will allow ECoE researchers to acquire the missing technical know-how for the implementation of AI and ML algorithms in its research pipeline.
Cultural Property Policy Development and Criminology
Thanks to the expertise of the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology (Maastricht University), ECoE will gain an understanding of the social and legal frameworks which regulate the activities of all the actors involved in the fight against trafficking of cultural goods. This new set of knowledge will enhance its decision-making skills, help to prioritise effective goals, and improve time management leading to long-term impact.
