AI and XR for the Knowledge, Monitoring and Promotion of Cultural Heritage Places: The Heritour Project

The research project stems from the awareness of the increasing pace of disasters caused by natural and anthropic agents to cultural heritage sites. Between 2019 and 2020, the world witnessed over 820 catastrophic events, including 300 natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, eruptions, landslides, and more (Statista, https://www.statista.com/ , [1]). Figure 1 illustrates a map, sourced from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/ , [2]), highlighting the most significant earthquakes in the Italian territory, which is also threatened by other types of natural hazards such as floods and fires (Fig. 1). Consequently, the imperative nature of addressing monitoring and preservation challenges becomes evident in the context of cultural heritage.