Luigi Perotti

GeoGuides, Urban Geotourism Offer Powered by Mobile Application Technology

Scientific research about geological and geomorphological heritage recently proved to be the base of new opportunities for tourism. The peculiar case of urban landscape analysis offers new frontiers to the traditional urban cultural tourism. The tourism offer based on natural aspects of urban areas is described in this paper thanks to three examples of urban geotourism tools: GeoGuide Lausanne, TOURinSTONES and GeoGuide Rome mobile applications. Each case focuses on the transfer of geoscientific knowledge from scientific research to the “tourist” content, with the innovative support of the mobile application technology. The apps contribute to the promotion of the links between cultural and geological heritages, which is the goal of urban geotourism: to convey the message that substrate profoundly influences the culture that is established on it. The mobile application technology has many strengths for interpretation, e.g. by overlaying images or adding sounds and videos, which allow the visitors to discover landforms now covered by buildings and infrastructures; it has also technical strengths, such as looking for additional information and organizing the city visit at home or to reexperience it after the trip. The apps do not have any impact on the field; they are concise, easy to read, interactive and funny. The public understanding of science is very important; it helps enhancing the role of the researchers and the impact of their work on the society and the daily lives of citizens. In this context, GeoGuide apps are useful to transfer knowledge and make it usable to people.

Terrestrial Remote Sensing techniques to complement conventional geomechanical surveys for the assessment of landslide hazard: The San Leo case study (Italy)

Abstract The San Leo village, located near to Rimini (northern Italy), was built in the medieval period on the top of a calcarenite and sandstone plateau, affected by lateral spreading associated with secondary rock falls and topples. In fact, a number of landslides endangered the historical town since centuries. In order to describe the structural features driving these slope instability phenomena, a complete Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) survey all around the San Leo cliff was performed. Moreover, Close-Range Photogrammetric (CRP) surveys and conventional geomechanical surveys on scanlines have been carried out. The 3D geometry of the cliffs was extracted and critical areas have been investigated in detail using dense Digital Surface Models (DSMs) obtained from CRP or TLS. The results were used to define the structural features of the plateau, to recognize more fractured areas, and to perform kinematic analyses, in order to assess the joint sets predisposing to slope instability at the cliff scale. The creation of a 3D model was also fundamental for the implementation of the geological model to be used in numerical modelling for hydrogeological characterization and slope stability analyses.

Digital Tools for Collection, Promotion and Visualisation of Geoscientific Data: Case Study of Seguret Valley (Piemonte, NW Italy)

The work presented here forms part of a cultural and scientific context for the continuous improvement of computer sciences to support geological and geomorphological research, by allowing the development and application of specific tools and innovative methodologies. Cooperation between the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences of Torino and the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Torino has facilitated the development and implementation of a methodology aimed at the identification and evaluation of the geological and geomorphological heritage of the Piemonte region. The methodological steps applied are described in full in a case study of Seguret Valley (Piemonte, NW Italy). The employment of geomatic tools, such as digital photogrammetry, geographical information systems (GIS) and global navigation satellite system (GNSS), has allowed the production of a geomorphological map of the area and the identification, listing and selection of the most representative and important sites. Terrestrial laser scanner (LiDAR), although currently used for demonstration purposes, has the potential to be used in the identification of potential risks associated with the enjoyment of the site by the public. Web Mapping tools based on GoogleMaps© architecture have also been set up for the web dissemination of geoscientific information—appropriately simplified without prejudicing accuracy—in enable as broad an audience as possible to be reached.

A Selection of Geological Tours for Promoting the Italian Geological Heritage in the Secondary Schools

Twenty Italian geological tours have been selected and studied for creating a didactic multimedia product devoted to secondary schools. The aim is to enhance the knowledge of the Italian geological heritage, starting from teachers and students, through the proposal of virtual geological tours. Particular attention has been given both to the relevance of Earth Sciences in everyday life and to the multidisciplinary topics proposed, having care of such aspects as the use of the land and the prevention of natural resources from degradation. An emotional approach has been applied because emotions are essential to stimulate curiosity and to build affection towards a territory, for raising the awareness of the value of the geological heritage. The project required collaboration among researchers, professionals, associations, and institutions involved in studying, protecting, and promoting the Italian geological heritage. Moreover, a further collaboration with teachers and students is foreseen, in order to test the effectiveness of the product in the teaching/learning process. The feedback collected will be useful for realizing a new multimedia product on the geosites of the Piemonte Region, as an output of the multidisciplinary PROactive management of GEOlogical heritage in the Piemonte region (PROGEO-Piemonte) research project.

A web-based, relational database for studying glaciers in the Italian Alps

Glaciers are among the best terrestrial indicators of climate change and thus glacier inventories have attracted a growing, worldwide interest in recent years. In Italy, the first official glacier inventory was completed in 1925 and 774 glacial bodies were identified. As the amount of data continues to increase, and new techniques become available, there is a growing demand for computer tools that can efficiently manage the collected data. The Research Institute for Geo-hydrological Protection of the National Research Council, in cooperation with the Departments of Computer Science and Earth Sciences of the University of Turin, created a database that provides a modern tool for storing, processing and sharing glaciological data. The database was developed according to the need of storing heterogeneous information, which can be retrieved through a set of web search queries. The databases architecture is server-side, and was designed by means of an open source software. The website interface, simple and intuitive, was intended to meet the needs of a distributed public: through this interface, any type of glaciological data can be managed, specific queries can be performed, and the results can be exported in a standard format. The use of a relational database to store and organize a large variety of information about Italian glaciers collected over the last hundred years constitutes a significant step forward in ensuring the safety and accessibility of such data. Moreover, the same benefits also apply to the enhanced operability for handling information in the future, including new and emerging types of data formats, such as geographic and multimedia files. Future developments include the integration of cartographic data, such as base maps, satellite images and vector data. The relational database described in this paper will be the heart of a new geographic system that will merge data, data attributes and maps, leading to a complete description of Italian glacial environments.

The Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre as a Well Preserved Record of the Quaternary Climate Variability (PROGEO-Piemonte Project, NW Italy)

In the Piedmont plain of NW Italy the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre (IMA) is a remarkable evidence of the Quaternary glaciations. It consists of a wide (505 km2) complex of lateral moraines (i.e. the Serra d’Ivrea), end moraines and kame terraces, encircling a 200 km2 wide flat internal depression above which a subglacially moulded rocky hills (the Colli d’Ivrea) elevates. The glacigenic succession ranges from the end of the Early Pleistocene (dated on palaeomagnetic basis) to the end of the Late Pleistocene (14C radiometric and 10Be exposure ages) (about 900–20 ky BP). The IMA has recently been parted into ten stratigraphical units, potentially correlable to the whole sequence of the main Quaternary glaciations recorded by the marine oxygen isotope stratigraphy. Natural (glacigenic deposits and forms) and archaeological (i.e. the Roman gold mines) features make the IMA a very interesting topic for a multidisciplinary research with educational, cultural and tourist purposes. Some recent and present activities for the land promoting are presented. A candidature to the UNESCO global geopark network is considered as a suitable and ambitious goal.

Applications of high-resolution images and DTMs for detailed geomorphological analysis of mountain and plain areas of NW Italy

Abstract Detailed analysis of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), digital imagery, and a discussion of their various applications and derived geothematic products are presented for study areas in two different geological and geomorphological contexts of North West (NW) of Italy. In both cases it has been proposed an integrated approach for geomorphological analysis that put in evidence many advantages of using these new geomatics tools. In the first context, digital geomorphological mapping of high altitude areas of the Aosta Valley (Gran Paradiso and Gran San Bernardo) have been carried out by using photogrammetry and remote sensing on airborne laser scanner data (LiDAR derived DTM) and orthophotos. Suitable results have been obtained for areas of difficult accessibility, with reduced costs and work time compared to traditional field techniques. In the second geomorphological context, high-resolution images of the present topography of the high Piedmont plain (Turin, Asti and Cuneo Provinces) have been used to perform GIS mapping and analysis. Evidences of Quaternary modifications in the hydrographic network have been enhanced, suggesting new geomorphological elements for the reconstruction of the recent geodynamic history of the area.

GeoMedia-web: Multimedia and Networks for Dissemination of Knowledge on Geoheritage and Natural Risk

Geological knowledge is fundamental for the assessment and mitigation of natural risks, as well as for the successful exploration and management of georesources. The GeoMedia-web project aims to improve people awareness of geological issues by establishing a network of researchers, teachers, and scientific institutions sharing innovative multimedia solutions for the dissemination of Earth Science contents, focusing on natural hazards and geological heritage. Through the enhancement of awareness of geodiversity, we pursue to highlight evidences of past environmental changes and evolutionary processes, and also to make available information needed to accurately foresee future environmental changes, related risks and for providing adequate adaptation plans and/or prevention measures. The concept inspiring the GeoMedia-web project is based on principles of geoconservation and virtual reality applications. By means of collaborative sharing and creation of dissemination products, we want to fill the gap existing in Italy between these theoretical frameworks and their effective application in geodiversity action plans, and in the proactive management of natural risks.

Development and usage of Geosites: new results from research and conservation activities in the Piemonte Region (Italy)

This paper describes a series of activities carried out by public institutions, whose aim is to identify possible ways of acquiring knowledge and of allowing enjoyment of the Piemonte Regions geological heritage. The activities concern the inventory, the evaluation, the storage and the publication of information, both alphanumerical and geographical, in relation to geosites. A database accessible directly from Web and a Web-GIS application has been developed in order to supply valuable and comprehensive instruments for both, representing the results of research and promoting the knowledge of the geological heritage to a large number of people.

TOURinSTONES: a Free Mobile Application for Promoting Geological Heritage in the City of Torino (NW Italy)

The Piemonte mountains surrounding the city of Torino comprise a wide variety of rocks, characterized by a multitude of minerals, structures and colors. The Alps, because of their long and complex history, have produced a wide variety of ornamental stone used in the town, over the centuries, for both esthetic and structural reasons. TOURinSTONES is an application for mobile phones that allows geotourists to walk in the center of Torino, where the visitor can find Alpine rocks used in palaces and historical monuments as witnesses and tangible symbols of the city. The application consists of 26 historical sites of interest in each of which ornamental stones of historical and scientific interest can be observed in detail. The sites are grouped in four thematic itineraries through which the user can discover the city from the cultural and architectural point of view. By a numbered list of the stones used in all the described monuments, the user can access specific data on each rock including quarry location, petrographic description and utilization in Torino. The mobile application can be downloaded free from the App Store or Google Play respectively for Apple and Android devices.