Semi-automatic identification of cultural heritage looting activities through Earth Observation

The inability to prevent archaeological looting and trafficking is not confined to a specific failed-state environment or any part of the world; it is an issue faced by many EU Member States. Looting of cultural property is a significant global issue, yet the efforts to combat this criminal activity have not matched its severity. Criminals profit greatly from this illicit trade, while humanity is deprived of access to vital archaeological information and artefacts that form our shared heritage. Challenges faced by authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) in monitoring and protecting archaeological sites include their abundance, remote locations, limited protection resources, and inadequate funding. Satellite technology has shown great potential for analysing archaeological looting through various academic studies worldwide. While spacebased earth observations cannot directly prevent illegal activities on the ground, they play a crucial role in identifying new looted areas that may be unknown to local stakeholders, thus raising awareness about potential illegal trafficking and increasing local ability to introduce new site-level protections in vulnerable locations. This study focuses on the development of a semi-automated satellite imagery brokering procedure for data mining and enhanced processing workflow for early and accurate identification of threats, determining the most effective remote sensing methods.