Our submission, titled "The PERSEO Project: Enhancing Archaeological Prospection with Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning", has been accepted for oral presentation at LSP2025, which will take place in Wien from 23 to 27 June 2025.
On October 15th–16th, 2024, we attended the EO for Cultural and Natural Heritage Workshop, jointly organized by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL), held, at ESA/ESRIN in Frascati. At this event, we presented our research on the PERSEO project, which explores the potential of PRISMA hyperspectral data for detecting archaeological features, with a focus on case studies such as Aquileia, Italy. The workshop provided valuable visibility for our research within the international space and heritage communities, fostering connections and discussions on the role of Earth Observation in cultural heritage preservation.
At the 30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA), held from August 28th to 31th, 2024, at Sapienza University in Rome, we presented a poster on the application of PRISMA pansharpening techniques for enhancing the detection of archaeological traces. Our research demonstrated the effectiveness of PRISMA's high-resolution imagery in identifying subtle archaeological features, highlighting its potential as a valuable tool in remote sensing for archaeology. The EAA Annual Meeting provided an excellent opportunity to share our findings with the broader archaeological community and explore potential collaborations for future research.
From July 8th to 12th, we attended the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Athens, where we participated in the session on "PRISMA Hyperspectral Data Exploitation", chaired by ASI. During this session, we presented the results of the PERSEO project, contributing to the evaluation of the applicability of PRISMA hyperspectral data in the archaeological domain. Our presentation highlighted the potential of hyperspectral imaging in enhancing archaeological analysis and detection.
The full paper is published in the conference proceedings and is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS53475.2024.10642261
From June 11th to 13th 2024, we attended the Landscape Archaeology Conference in Alcalà de Henarez in Spain, joining the session on “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace - Challenges and Opportunities in the Application of Machine Learning in Landscape Archaeology”. Our presentation titled “Machine Learning in LiDAR-based and Optical Imagery Prospection in Archaeology: challenges and Potentialities” was focused on the issues of ML semantic segmentation models in identifying subsoil archaeological features and geomorphological features on optical imagery, challenging the issues of fluctuating visibility due to seasonal variations and agricultural land usage. Drawing from the PERSEO project and our analysis of PRISMA hyperspectral images, we presented case studies from Aquileia and Venice Lagoon highlighting how hyperspectral data can enhance traditional RGB-oriented models.
On June 6th 2023, at the conference Illuminating the Past: Uncovering Hidden Layers in Cultural Heritage with Hyperspectral and ThZ Imaging, hosted by IIT in Venice, we showcased the developments of the PERSEO project in the use of hyperspectral images to detect underground archaeological sites.
Our team embarked on a journey to Tunisia to finalise the necessary bureaucratic steps in obtaining permits for our recently obtained 'Italian Official Archaeological Mission in Tunisia'. Endorsed by the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale - MAECI (the Italian Ministry of foreign affairs). The Mission received its first approval in 2023, allowing us to conduct a survey in the Tunisian territory.
The focus of archaeological ground-truthing revolves around the study of the Tunisian ancient landscape, particularly the Roman agricultural divisions (centuriation). While our team has been remotely exploring these fascinating regions during 2023 using satellite imagery, last week provided us with a unique opportunity to witness these marvellous landscapes up close.
We've identified hundreds of potential still unknown archaeological sites. The upcoming years of our mission will be dedicated to validating and exploring these sites in batches. This on-site experience promises to add a tangible dimension to our research, complementing the data gathered remotely.
On December 14th, PERSEO researchers presented preliminary results at the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana headquarters auditorium in Rome within the workshop Il Downstream nazionale: Tra presente e futuro. They showcased the implications of pansharpening techniques in the detection of archaeological features on hyperspectral PRISMA satellite images. As the workshop aimed to delve into the current state and future trajectory of national downstream initiatives, our project served as a tangible example of innovation and advancement in achieving the goal of monitoring and preserving the territory as cultural Landscape.
On November 2nd we attended the conference "L’Imagerie Spatiale au Service du Patrimoine Culturel", hosted at the Centre National d’Études Spatiales in Paris. The presentation focused on the use of satellite imagery and artificial intelligence in the analysis and management of Cultural Heritage. It was the opportunity to present the outline of the PERSEO project and to underline future developments. Particular emphasis was placed on the use of pan-sharpened hyperspectral images in the identification of sub-soil archaeological features with semantic segmentation methods.
PERSEO project will take part in the CCHT mission to Tunisia, conducted within the concession of Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. The mission aims to contribute to the identification and documentation of unknown archaeological sites in the territory of Tunisia, including new sections of the ancient Roman centuriation, while also detecting sites subject to illegal excavation. The investigation will initially focus on the extensive area of the Beja governorate and will be carried out using non-invasive archaeological survey methods, starting with the analysis of satellite images assisted by artificial intelligence applications. Subsequently, archaeological field-walking campaigns will be conducted, including geophysical investigations and drone surveys supported by dedicated robotics, to confirm the identified sites and potentially determine areas for excavation.
In June 2023 we programmed a new acquisition campaign with PRISMA over the selected case studies. The new acquisitions aim to obtain a time-series of PRISMA images that cover one-year timespan. Multitemporal analysis will be beneficial to maximise the visibility of sub-soil archaeological features.
Giulio Poggi, a post-doc researcher in landscape archaeology, joined the PERSEO's team!
Giulio will conduct the interpretation of archaeological features over a diverse range of multispectral and hyperspectral imagery. Collected features will be used in supervised and unsupervised learning models to enable semi-automatic object detection and segmentation.
17/10/2022
The PERSEO project has officially started!
An important meeting with our partner ASI was held to unveil the aims of our ambitious project. The event provided an opportunity to showcase the vision, objectives, and desired outcomes of the project, setting the stage for a collaborative journey towards success.
During the meeting, the methodology to be adopted was introduced, outlining the systematic approach that will drive the project forward. Key strategies, frameworks, and implementation plans were discussed, emphasizing the commitment to efficiency, innovation, and measurable results.
Furthermore, the meeting showcased a series of compelling case studies that demonstrated the project's potential impact and relevance.