Satellite-Based Damage Assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites
2015 Summary Report of Iraq, Nepal, Syria & Yemen
June 2016 :: 16 pages
UNESCO, UNOSAT United Nations Institute for Training and Research

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Foreword [Excerpts]
[UNESCO]
…Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between UNITAR-UNOSAT and UNESCO in June 2015, cultural heritage around the world has continued to suffer on an unprecedented scale from intentional attacks, collateral damage, widespread looting and the effects of natural disasters. Many of the countries affected by conflicts remain inaccessible, while those hit by disaster are also often hard to enter immediately.

However, thanks to their collaborative efforts, UNITAR-UNOSAT and UNESCO are now able to monitor damage to cultural heritage via satellite imagery, as shown in this report. While UNOSAT provides technical expertise in remote monitoring, UNESCO contributes to this partnership through its vast network of cultural heritage experts, who help identify damage and put it into context. Satellite images are then corroborated by data collected on the ground, where available.

Satellite imagery helps to clarify situations, deploy cultural first aid wherever it is most needed, if the security conditions allow, and plan for future recovery. This report provides a glimpse of the potential of this technology and cooperation between UNESCO and UNITAR-UNOSAT, which we hope will be considerably developed in the future.

[UNOSAT]
…The examples given in this report illustrate both the invaluable heritage of the specific sites through UNESCO’s contribution and the resulting technical analysis performed by UNITAR-UNOSAT. With World Heritage properties and other cultural heritage under increasing risk of destruction, objective and timely information is crucial for UNESCO and affected governments to call for and take action towards its protection. UNOSAT is pleased to contribute to this important work and to once again guide the way to apply innovative satellite imagery solutions for UN sister agencies and Member States.

Overview
During the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen and the earthquake that affected Nepal in 2015, the UNITAR’s UNOSAT programme has been supporting the humanitarian community with satellite imagery derived analysis. While conducting damage assessments of civilian infrastructure in those countries, it became evident that widespread destruction and damage has been inflicted on cultural heritage locations. This report is the result of a dedicated, combined effort between UNOSAT and UNESCO to assess the current status of a selection of cultural heritage sites.