The CHEDAR Project: Seoul and Osaka Workshop Highlights

Geomatics for the Preservation and Resilience of Cultural Heritage Against Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards

The workshop Geomatics for the Preservation and Resilience of Cultural Heritage Against Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards was held prior to the opening of the CIPA 2025 Seoul Symposium “Heritage Conservation from Bits: From Digital Documentation to Data-driven Heritage Conservation”, promoted by CIPA Heritage Documentation. The initiative was part of the CHEDAR project (Cultural Heritage Digitalisation and Reconstruction), coordinated by the University of Florence and supported by CIPA-HD and ICOMOS-Italy. It was organized by the GeCo Lab of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Florence, the Institute of Heritage Science of the Italian National Research Council (ISPC-CNR), and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

The event brought together eleven participants from across Europe and Asia, continuing the research path initiated with the online meeting of 17 February 2025, Grotto Digital Twins: Strategies for Documentation, Preservation and Promotion, also supported by CIPA-HD and ISPRS. Discussions focused on the integration of digital documentation with strategies for heritage conservation and enhancement, particularly in relation to natural and anthropogenic risks intensified by climate change.

A central case study was the “Grotto of the Animals” at the Medici Villa of Castello, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013. Renowned for its interior decorations depicting real and exotic animals, the grotto was originally conceived to amaze visitors through visual and acoustic effects generated by a sophisticated hydraulic system. Over time, alterations and tampering with its structures and installations have epitomized the fragility of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The reactivation of the water features in 2024, while reviving the grotto’s historic image and visitor appeal, also heightened its vulnerability to deterioration and the potential loss of original elements.

Seoul Workshop Introductions

Facilitating institutions: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Florence; Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; Institute of Heritage Science (ISPC) – National Research Council (CNR)

The workshop stressed documentation as a fundamental tool for risk management, distinguishing environmental threats (humidity, temperature, micro-vibrations, climate fluctuations) from anthropogenic ones (use, neglect, vandalism, conflict), while also addressing the potential loss of knowledge about historical water conduits. Geomatic surveys and 3D models developed by the University of Florence, combined with diagnostic investigations carried out by ISPC-CNR Florence, produced detailed data on material conditions. In February 2025, the DHILab of ISPC-CNR Lecce further advanced the project by installing a network of IoT sensors. Through the SENNSE platform (Spatial hEritage scieNce oNline Sensor Environment), these sensors integrate environmental data into the digital model, enabling continuous monitoring and predictive analysis.

The integration of geometric, diagnostic, and environmental data marks a shift from documentation to preventive conservation. Participants were able to experience, in virtual reality and directly within the 3D model, real-time variations recorded by the sensors—an important step toward a fully interactive Heritage Digital Twin.

The workshop highlighted how collaboration between universities and research institutes ensures both methodological rigor and the sharing of complementary expertise. The combination of geomatic surveys, diagnostic analyses, and IoT platforms demonstrated that digitalization is not an end in itself, but a concrete means of supporting strategic heritage conservation and management.

Seoul workshop welcome: participants introduce themselves

Within this perspective, the workshop outcomes and the activities of the CHEDAR project represent a valuable reference point for contexts in the Mediterranean and the Arab world—regions with outstanding cultural heritage increasingly threatened by climate change and geopolitical instability. The project’s international significance was further emphasized by its official presentation at the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka, during an event attended by representatives of institutions from Italy, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Left: Grazia Tucci presents the CHEDAR Project at EXPO 2025 Osaka in the Italy Pavilion in front of Italian institutions as noted in the right photo.

Right: Representatives of Italian institutions including Licia Ranzulli, Senator and Vice President of the Italian Senate; Paolo Glisenti, former Italian commissioner for Expo 2020 Dubai; Grazia Tucci, CHEDAR director; Mario Vattani, former commissioner for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka and newly appointed Italian ambassador to Japan.

Left: Panel 1 “Reimagining Heritage – Reproduction, Creativity and Accessibility in Museums and Cultural Tourism”, Participants: Grazia Tucci (CHEDAR director), Gaetano Malandrino (Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara), Ivana Cerato (National Research Council – CNR), moderator Paolo Glisenti

Right: Panel 2 “(Un)faithful Twins – Culture between Memory and Simulation” Participants: Alessandro Conti (University of Florence), Ona Vileikis (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, CIPA-HD), Luigi Oliva, Giorgio Sobrà (Central Institute for Restoration – ICR), Hirofumi Ikawa (Senior Cultural Properties Specialist, Cultural Resources Utilization Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs Japan), Matteo Greco (National Research Council – CNR)

An intense and multifaceted day of initiatives followed, including the project presentation and two panels addressing topical issues. The first, “Reimagining Heritage – Reproduction, Creativity and Accessibility in Museums and Cultural Tourism”, examined reproduction, creativity, and accessibility in relation to digitalization. The second, “(Un)faithful Twins – Culture between Memory and Simulation”, provided a critical reflection on the concept of the Digital Twin in cultural heritage, underlining both opportunities and risks.

The program concluded with five thematic workshops engaging a wide-ranging audience, from children to adults:

Workshop 1: Heritage Explorers – A Playful Journey into Mediterranean Culture

Workshop 2: Capture It, Print It – Making Cultural Heritage Tangible

Workshop 3: Brancacci Point of View – Immersive Encounters with Italian Masterpieces

Workshop 4: Digitally Reviving the Grotta degli Animali – Where Immersion Meets Monitoring

Workshop 5: Mediterranean Depths – A Submerged World of Culture

Gallery below shows participants from the five workshops in Osaka.