In recent times, satellite-based remote sensing has a growing role in archaeology and inherently in the cultural heritage management process. This paper demonstrates the potential and usefulness of satellite imagery for the documentation, mapping, monitoring, and in-depth analysis of cultural heritage and the archaeological sites located in urban landscapes. The study focuses on the assessment and monitoring of Alba Iulia, which is one of the Romanian cities with the richest historical past. Multitemporal analysis was performed to identify the land use/land cover changes that might contribute to an increased cultural heritage vulnerability to natural disasters. A special emphasis was dedicated to the assessment of the built-up area growth and consequently of the urbanization trend over a large time interval (30 years). Next, the urbanization and urban area expansion impact was further analyzed by concentrating on the urban heat island within Alba Iulia city and Alba Iulia Fortress (located in the center of the city). As temperature change represents a key element of climate change, the temperature trend within the same temporal framework and its impact on cultural heritage were determined. In the end, with regard to the cultural heritage condition assessment, the research was complemented with an assessment of the urban ground and individual building stability, using persistent scatterer interferometry. The results contribute to the detailed depiction of the cultural heritage site in such a manner that the site is monitored over an extensive timeframe, its current state of conservation is accurately determined, and the future trends can be identified. In conclusion, the present study offers reliable results regarding the main factors that might endanger the cultural heritage site as a basis for future preservation measures.

The capabilities of satellite remote sensing technologies and their derived data for the analysis of archaeological sites have been demonstrated in a large variety of studies over the last decades. Likewise, the Earth Observation (EO) data contribute to the disaster management process through the provision of updated information for areas under investigation. In addition, long term studies may be performed for the in–depth analysis of the disaster–prone areas using archive satellite imagery and other cartographic materials. Hence, satellite remote sensing represents an essential tool for the study of hazards in cultural heritage sites and landscapes. Depending on the size of the archaeological sites and considering the fact that some parts of the site might be covered, the main concern regards the suitability of satellite data in terms of spatial and spectral resolution. Using a multi–temporal Sentinel–2 dataset between 2016 and 2019, the present study focuses on the hazard risk identification for the Micia and Germisara archaeological sites in Romania as they are endangered by industrialisation and major infrastructure works and soil erosion, respectively. Furthermore, the study includes a performance assessment of remote sensing vegetation indices for the detection of buried structures. The results clearly indicate that Sentinel–2 imagery proved to be fundamental in meeting the objectives of the study, particularly due to the extensive archaeological knowledge that was available for the cultural heritage sites. The main conclusion to be drawn is that satellite–derived products may be enhanced by integrating valuable archaeological context, especially when the resolution of satellite data is not ideally fitting the peculiarities (e.g., in terms of size, underground structures, type of coverage) of the investigated cultural heritage sites.

Abstract. Cultural heritage represents the link between past and present civilizations, contributing to the right appreciation of the present-day by understanding the historical evolution of different human communities that are shaping our world. Preservation of the cultural heritage and mitigating potential risks on invaluable artifacts or objectives is key to conserving the identity of present and future generations. Our complex project is dedicated to monitoring, conservation, protection and promotion of the Romanian cultural heritage. It addresses the challenge of better safeguarding the cultural heritage by developing a multidisciplinary approach.The combined use of Synthetic Aperture Radar and multispectral satellite imagery represent a non-invasive investigation instrument that enable multitemporal analysis, contributing with valuable insights regarding cultural heritage sites. Remote sensing techniques were used to generate geospatial products such as displacement maps, urban sprawl evolution maps, urban heat island maps and many more.For protecting important artifacts, innovative recipes based on nanotechnologies were developed. In order to promote these artifacts, 3D photorealistic models were created using 3D reconstruction technology. For selected cultural heritage objectives, an integrated LiDAR aerial mapping system has enabled the creation of a high accuracy 3D model.This paper illustrates how different technologies, ranging from remote sensing to nanotechnology, could be used for safeguarding and promoting the Romanian cultural heritage and represents a first step in establishing and consolidating a multidisciplinary team involved in this domain.

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Abstract. Almost worldwide, urban expansion has been increasing at a rapid pace in the last decades. Although metropolitan areas strongly contribute to economic growth, they are also usually characterized by uncoordinated urban development that consequently causes overburdened infrastructure and higher air pollution. Bucharest (the capital of Romania) and the surrounding Ilfov County underwent a significant expansion during different growth stages, roughly tripling their population since 1930.The present study analyzes the evolution of the urban spatial expansion of Bucharest and Ilfov between 1985 and 2015, using the World Settlement Footprint Evolution dataset created by the German Aerospace Center. The research integrates data provided by the National Institute of Statistics in relation to the resident population, population density, the average monthly net income and the gross domestic product. The results reveal that Bucharest - Ilfov development region had an impressive expansion during the investigated time interval in comparison with the other Romanian regions. In 30 years, the built-up area corresponding to Bucharest and the Ilfov County doubled, 2007 being the most prolific for the development of new built-up areas. In what concerns Bucharest city, the most noteworthy urban expansion occurred in District 1. Several urban growth hotspots were also identified and analyzed in detail (e.g., North of the capital).