Search

Since ancient times, human beings have been interested in knowing their environment in order to make the right decisions in territorial management. The spatial component is a feature of great importance in the assets that surround us. Heritage geoinformation is a convenient and effective way for management, protection and safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage. For optimal compliance, it is nowadays indispensable to rely on the use of new web technologies and geomatics knowledge that allow the documentation, visualisation, monitoring and management of heritage. Therefore, the main objective of this article is to develop a web-based cultural heritage management system in Cantón Nabón, Ecuador, as a case study. The system, consisting of a web-based geoportal accessible to the whole society, will allow consulting the geolocalised heritage information of the study area on a virtual map, as well as 3D geovisualisation in an interactive web viewer. The integrated system, once implemented, will take into consideration the preventive conservation cycle in the heritage field, highlighting, in Spanish, the creation of the heritage data models according to ISO21127:2014.

Intervention in heritage buildings with the purpose of extending their life span has been widely discussed on international forums for decades. Building comfort principles are intended to be incorporated within these heritage buildings; nevertheless, the intent implies extensive renovation with loss of important heritage values. This paper focuses on comfort strategies in selected heritage buildings of the city of Cuenca in Ecuador. The research reported here was initiated by an historic study and a heritage value assessment supported by the Nara Grid along with inhabitant’s interviews. Indoor and outdoor conditions were analyzed with datta logger equipment and climatic software tools. Then the collected data was interpreted and compared with the Ecuadorian Construction Norm. The outcomes showed possible intervention strategies to improve indoor comfort conditions of the heritage buildings without altering their values. Moreover, the research shows the potential of heritage buildings as resilient tools for sustainable development and that the improvement of quality of life of its residents is possible with less invasive interventions. In addition, the results showed that indoor conditions of heritage buildings could be improved; however, according to the current Ecuadorian Construction Norm, they will not always reach the ideal comfort range. Thus, the researchers encourage a revision of the existing Ecuadorian Construction Norm which under its current form is not fully applicable to the existing heritage assets. The norm gap shows restrictions and contradictions for the conservation of heritage buildings. Consequently, some interventions can destroy important heritage values.

Purpose In other fields, like natural resources, a wide range of participatory methods have been applied, criticized and adapted trough practice. Areas such as anthropology, history or architecture have contributed to the identification of heritage values. Semi-structured interviews and cultural mapping are examples of qualitative and participative methods that have been applied already in the conservation field. Nevertheless, no framework exists to assess the effectiveness of such methods and little experience has been built up in actor’s integration within the heritage value identification process. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to recognize heritage values incorporating multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives. Design/methodology/approach The socio-praxis approach, which is the outcome of an articulation of diverse methodologies that aim to support social processes from a bottom-up …

The Historic Center of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca was incorporated in 1999 to the UNESCTO World Heritage List. However, the absence of conservation policies has led to the lost of the heritage values on which the listing criteria of Cuenca are based. In this respect, this research proposes to use a supervised classification method known as Support Vector Machines (SVM) to determine heritage elements that need to be monitored at a territorial scale. The results have shown a real possibility to control different elements accurately with a low computational load.

The proper control of built heritage entails many challenges related to the complexity of heritage elements and the extent of the area to be managed, for which the available resources must be efficiently used. In this scenario, the preventive conservation approach, based on the concept that prevent is better than cure, emerges as a strategy to avoid the progressive and imminent loss of monuments and heritage sites. Regular monitoring appears as a key tool to identify timely changes in heritage assets. This research demonstrates that the supervised learning model (Support Vector Machines - SVM) is an ideal tool that supports the monitoring process detecting visible elements in aerial images such as roofs structures, vegetation and pavements. The linear, gaussian and polynomial kernel functions were tested; the lineal function provided better results over the other functions. It is important to mention that due to the high level of segmentation generated by the classification procedure, it was necessary to apply a generalization process through opening a mathematical morphological operation, which simplified the over classification for the monitored elements.

The proper control of built heritage entails many challenges related to the complexity of heritage elements and the extent of the area to be managed, for which the available resources must be efficiently used. In this scenario, the preventive conservation approach, based on the concept that prevent is better than cure, emerges as a strategy to avoid the progressive and imminent loss of monuments and heritage sites. Regular monitoring appears as a key tool to identify timely changes in heritage assets. This research demonstrates that the supervised learning model (Support Vector Machines - SVM) is an ideal tool that supports the monitoring process detecting visible elements in aerial images such as roofs structures, vegetation and pavements. The linear, gaussian and polynomial kernel functions were tested; the lineal function provided better results over the other functions. It is important to mention that due to the high level of segmentation generated by the classification procedure, it was necessary to apply a generalization process through opening a mathematical morphological operation, which simplified the over classification for the monitored elements.

The condition assessment of heritage buildings in the Historic Center of the city of Cuenca, Ecuador (World Heritage City), which is an essential element within the process of conservation, has historically been done in a rather subjective manner. This research project’s objective is to present a methodology that contributes to the determination, in an objective manner, of the building’s condition through the damage register. The information and experience obtained from the maintenance campaign in a traditional neighborhood in Cuenca, San Roque, is used as input. This project was a vlir CPM (City Preservation Management) initiative. It took place in 2014 with the support of among others the University of Cuenca, the Municipality and the local state government. Currently the results of the maintenance campaign are being evaluated. With the gathered information, it is possible to generate comparative analyses and determine the building’s condition, with its conservation as its aim.

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to presents a conceptual framework for a value-based monitoring system that serves as the core element for heritage conservation planning of World Heritage Sites. It reports on the early stage of heritage management research within the PRECOM3OS framework, in collaboration with the University of Leuven in Belgium and the Universidad de Cuenca in Ecuador. A new management concept was developed throughout a five-year interdisciplinary and multi-actor growth process within an international setting. – The application of the preventive conservation approach to world heritage management places the concepts of authenticity and integrity at the core of the heritage monitoring system. Moreover, the monitoring system is converted into a decision support tool for intervention and maintenance planning, beyond the mere purpose of inventorying or generating alerts. – The regular update of information for condition, risks and value assessment strengths and support strategic heritage planning. The conceptual information system developed is based on an inventory system and updated through monitoring. Therefore, planners are supplied with a tool for alternative scenarios, potential prioritization of intervention, options for preventive conservation and multi-criteria support for strategic planning over time. – The monitoring system is not fully implemented in the World Heritage Site of Cuenca; however, a generic model is put forward, developed to generate a planning tool that can be applied for different heritage sites. – More specific, the integration of two concepts: the value assessment and monitoring from a preventive conservation perspective is considered an innovative contribution to the development of decision-making systems in the broader urban planning context of historic cities. © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Monitoring and planning processes related to land use management in a spatial context, considering spatial interaction over time, always necessitate complex human decisions. Spatio-temporal decisions are about evaluating alternative answers to a variety of questions that can be categorized as “how?”, “when?”, “how long?”, “what?” and “what if?” questions. A decision in whatever planning process is a commitment to action, is goal specific and has to do with prediction of the future effects of the choices made. Some of the questions that guide spatial intervention planning can be answered using the analytical functionalities of standard GIS-software. However, when optimisation in the presence of multiple goals and criteria are at stake, spatial analysis needs to be complemented with adapted ranking and multicriteria evaluation techniques. In the last decades, worldwide efforts have contributed to a common language in spatiotemporal decision support. From the development of spatiotemporal decision support systems for forestry planning in South American and European context, a theoretical framework and a generic spatiotemporal Decision Support System (stDSS) generator tool were proposed. From this shared experience, the present short paper offers a view on the monitoring and planning needs as raised by the World Heritage City Preservation Management project vlirCPM, for human settlements in the Southern Andes of Ecuador. The main conclusion is that in order to define the requirements of decision support, practical goals and temporal scope must be very clear. Decision support system design, data management and complexity depend on proper formulation and stakeholder consensus on the questions, values and criteria to be handled by planning support tools. No computerized decision support tool will replace multi-actor decision making and has to be complemented and integrated with expert knowledge, multidirectional communication flows and documentation in order to offer a fle

Preservation of cultural heritage is progressively linked to regular maintenance and a continuous monitoring; both activities will define what is known as preventive conservation. This paper discusses the design of a conceptual model for a heritage monitoring system as a support to preventive conservation practices in World Heritage Properties. With respect to these properties the design of the proposed system starts by the choice of a data model, which is determined by different requirements. In heritage conservation, these requests are based on the values and attributes of analyzed elements. They will allow to the system the act of measuring change in the state, number or values presence. Within this framework, a conceptual model is proposed, showing how values and characteristics of heritage elements can be translated into data requirements, how these data requirements define a data model, how this data model determines the database to finally established , how the database determines the best choice for a Geographic Information System (GIS). The paper was illustrated for building blocks in Cuenca and it gives an insight into requirements and potentials of a heritage monitoring system able to combine complex information in spatial reference system valuable to public administration (site managers) for more informed decision making and management strategies. For Cuenca and other world heritage sites, the link made between technology (databases + GIS) and heritage requirements has the objective to overcome the existing gaps and to promote a more nimble heritage management.