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Article

Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscapes: Toward an Integrated System for Documenting and Managing Cultural Heritage in Southern Sicily

1
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
2
Department of Human Science, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Heritage 2025, 8(12), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8120501
Submission received: 30 September 2025 / Revised: 19 November 2025 / Accepted: 19 November 2025 / Published: 25 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue History, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage)

Abstract

This study presents the preliminary results of the design and implementation of an advanced data management infrastructure developed to enhance the study, interpretation, and preservation of historical and archaeological contexts. Conducted within the framework of the PNRR CHANGES Project, Spoke 6, the initiative promotes the integration of scientific research, digital innovation, and cultural heritage enhancement. One of the principal outcomes of the project is the development and configuration of ARPAS (“Analisi del Rischio nel Paesaggio Stratificato” or “Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscape”), a centralised Geospatial Database capable of ensuring reliable data archiving, real-time analytical processing, and collaborative information sharing among researchers and institutions engaged in cultural heritage management. The paper discusses key methodological challenges related to the heterogeneity of available documentation and the limitations of existing tools currently used for heritage research and protection in the Italian, and particularly Sicilian, context. At the same time, it highlights the potential of the proposed system in terms of data accessibility, verifiability, and query ability, as well as its ability to integrate and interrelate heterogeneous datasets within a multilayered, interdisciplinary framework for cultural landscape research. The pilot deployment focuses on a geographic area in southeastern Sicily, drawing upon documentation of the cultural landscape across four provinces—Agrigento, Catania, Ragusa, and Siracusa—and integrating archaeological, architectural, and environmental data to support risk assessment and heritage conservation strategies. Results appear to demonstrate ARPAS’s potential to improve the completeness of information, manage stratification across temporal layers, and support predictive and preventive analyses for cultural heritage at the landscape level.
Keywords: stratified landscape; geodatabase; risk management stratified landscape; geodatabase; risk management

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Fischer, E.; Gerogiannis, G.M.; Platania, E.; Puglisi, D. Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscapes: Toward an Integrated System for Documenting and Managing Cultural Heritage in Southern Sicily. Heritage 2025, 8, 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8120501

AMA Style

Fischer E, Gerogiannis GM, Platania E, Puglisi D. Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscapes: Toward an Integrated System for Documenting and Managing Cultural Heritage in Southern Sicily. Heritage. 2025; 8(12):501. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8120501

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fischer, Eliana, Gian Michele Gerogiannis, Erica Platania, and Dario Puglisi. 2025. "Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscapes: Toward an Integrated System for Documenting and Managing Cultural Heritage in Southern Sicily" Heritage 8, no. 12: 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8120501

APA Style

Fischer, E., Gerogiannis, G. M., Platania, E., & Puglisi, D. (2025). Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscapes: Toward an Integrated System for Documenting and Managing Cultural Heritage in Southern Sicily. Heritage, 8(12), 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8120501

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