PodcastSatellite images help academicians map damage to archaeological sites in earthquake zone
Analyzing high-resolution images made available by satellites of China, Germany and Italy, a team consisting of academicians is mapping the damage to 1,652 cultural assets in Turkey's 11 southern provinces following last week's major earthquakes. Turkey's southern region is known for its rich history and vast number of archaeological sites.
Ceren Deniz / Gazete Duvar
A new project has been initiated with the efforts of Prof. Çiler Çilingiroğlu from the Department of Archaeology at Ege University and Assoc. Prof. Nusret Demir from the Department of Space Sciences and Technologies at Akdeniz University to determine the damage to cultural assets in Turkey's 11 southern provinces after two major earthquakes hit the region on Feb. 6. The space agencies of China, Germany and Italy have made satellite images of the earthquake zone available for the project.
The academicians analyzed high-resolution satellite images one by one to determine the extent of damage to archaeological sites and cultural assets.
Prof. Çilingiroğlu said, "We cannot measure this much cultural heritage quickly by examining them one by one in the field. Satellite images provide the opportunity to make this determination quickly." She said the results will be shared with the public and scientific world at openstreetmap.org.
Several historical sites around the earthquake zone have been affected by the Feb. 6-dated earthquakes. The Kahramanmaraş Castle's interior and perimeter walls have partially collapsed as a result. It is now closed to visitors.