Research on Frontier Technology of Risk Management for Conservation of Cultural Heritage Based on Bibliometric Analysis

In the contemporary international context, the preventive conservation of cultural relics has become a widespread consensus. “Risk management” has emerged as a pivotal research focus at the present stage. However, the preventive protection of cultural relics is confronted with deficiencies in risk assessment and prediction. There is an urgent requirement for research to present a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the frontier technologies applicable to the preventive protection of cultural relics, with a particular emphasis on risk prevention and control. Additionally, it is essential to delineate the prospects for future investigations and developments in this domain. Consequently, this study employs bibliometric methods, applying CiteSpace (6.3.R1) and Biblioshiny (4.3.0) to perform comprehensive visual and analytical examinations of 392 publications sourced from the Web of Science (WoS) database covering the period 2010 to 2024. The results obtained from the research are summarized as follows: First, it is evident that scholars originating from China, Italy, and Spain have exhibited preponderant publication frequencies, contributing the largest quantity of articles. Second, augmented reality, digital technology, and risk-based analysis have been identified as the cardinal research frontiers. These areas have attracted significant scholarly attention and are at the forefront of innovation and exploration within the discipline. Third, the “Journal of Culture Heritage” and “Heritage Science” have been empirically determined to be the most frequently cited periodical within this particular field of study. Moreover, over the past decade, under the impetus and influence of the concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage, virtual reality, digital protection, and 3D models have progressively evolved into the central and crucial topics that have pervaded and shaped the research agenda. Finally, with respect to future research trajectories, there will be a pronounced focus on interdisciplinary design. This will be accompanied by an escalation in the requisites and standards for preventive conservation. Specifically, the spotlight will be cast upon aspects such as the air quality within the preservation environment of cultural relics held in collections, the implementation and efficacy of environmental real-time monitoring systems, the utilization and interpretation of big data analysis and early warning mechanisms, as well as the comprehensive and in-depth risk analysis of cultural relics. These multifaceted investigations will be essential for advancing understanding and safeguarding of cultural heritage. These findings deepen our grasp of how risk management in cultural heritage conservation has progressed and transformed between 2010 and 2024. Furthermore, the study provides novel insights and directions for subsequent investigations into risk assessment methodologies for heritage collections.