Science and technology have become fundamental tools for the preservation of Cultural Heritage. New technologies are developed and used for documentation, study and preservation of works of art, archaeological sites, historical buildings and other relevant objects of cultural interest. This research field has been constantly growing in recent years and now involves many of the disciplinary areas of modern science. The major aim of scientific investigations in art diagnostic is the acquisition and safe storage of reliable information on the studied object. The simple storage of data is in itself a very important tool for preservation. The ideal case would be the acquisition of a complete database containing all the relevant information on the state of the object to be preserved, and very often we cannot even guess on what information will be relevant in years to come. 
In modern measuring systems, the measurement scheme often used is the chain “source-object-sensor-computer” for active systems and “object-sensor-computer” for passive ones. Where data are to be recorded, to gather information on a studied object, sensors plays a fundamental role. For instance, the availability of imaging sensors like the CCD opened the way to a number of very important applications in the optical analysis of artworks. The coupling of sensors with digital systems has been another major breakthrough and it is now mandatory both in laboratory and field use. 
Diagnostic and restoration projects of masterpieces frequently use many different techniques, requiring the use of many kinds of different sensors. Monitoring the environment conditions of sites, like museums, buildings or archaeological sites, requires wide nets of different sensing devices. The field covered by this special issue is then huge, due to the vastness of the type of information that can be acquired on cultural heritage objects. Contributions are expected in the fields of sensors for physical measurements, for chemical and biological analyses, for environmental monitoring, and for other fields of interest to cultural heritage diagnostics.

Published Papers (4 papers)