An artificial intelligence (AI) model is being developed to predict how cultural heritage sites will be damaged by climate change.
According to Oxu.Az, Anne Bourgès, chief scientist at the French Center for Research and Restoration of Museums, announced this.
The idea originated four years ago at the European Commission level from the need to quantify the impact of weather on historic materials.
Researchers are using three historic sites to train the model: the octagonal tower base of Strasbourg Cathedral (13th century), the Gallic settlement of Bibracte in Burgundy (3rd-2nd centuries BC), and another site.
Over two years, weather conditions and erosion were recorded in detail. AI learns to analyze digital data from humidity and temperature sensors, as well as photos and thermal infrared images to track damage dynamics.
Challenges include differing commercial device parameters and overly subjective visual descriptions, leading scientists to impose a strict terminology and classification system.
The new methodology will be publicly available on the "Espadon" digital platform, where users can use augmented reality (AR) to see future change scenarios of specific buildings. Scientists also plan to use the model as a political tool to highlight climate issues globally.
