SHIELD

Project Title: Safeguard Heritage In Endangered Looted Districts
Acronym: SHIELD
Coordinator: The Cyprus Institute 
Type of funding: European
Funding source: The Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF)
Dates: November 2020 - September 2023
Project website

Description: The Safeguard Heritage In Endangered Looted Districts (SHIELD) Project aims at designing and building an artificially intelligent Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to patrol archaeological and heritage sites using the latest technologies in imaging techniques, live data streaming, decentralized (onboard) processing, Machine Learning, and flight data management.

The customized surveillance device is expected to be autonomously deployed from a ground station (helipad) on scheduled operations both during night and day routine flights. The system is foreseen to take-off, patrol a targeted area, stream live data, land, recharge the batteries and stand-by for the next scheduled operation.

The final goals are represented by the identification of looting activities in real-time, the collection of data for monitoring purposes on the medium and long-term period and the creation of a deterrence strategy to target specific criminal behaviour.

SHIELD system is tailored for its integration into thematic policies and strategies for the protection of cultural heritage, implemented by the relevant stakeholders such as Departments of Antiquities and Police Corps.