FINALIST SOLUTION
Beginner Awards: Social impact
Space4UA
Solution summary
SPACE4UA is an application that aims at revolutionising the cultural heritage protection, harnessing space data and citizen-generated input, hence empowering communities to safeguard their heritage, to monitor threats to a country’s cultural heritage.
Designed for cultural heritage managers, decision makers, and civil society organisations, SPACE4UA provides up-to-date information on the status of cultural heritage sites, enabling swift interventions to mitigate risks and damages. Through the integration of space data with citizen-generated observations, this tool aims to also raise global awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage in conflict zones.
In addition, SPACE4UA can be adapted and expanded to protect heritage sites in any conflict zones worldwide. Through partnerships with projects and networks like CitiObs (which consolidates and applies tools and practice-based knowledge for co-creating data, knowledge and local action via Citizen Observatories (COs) and GEO-UCHO (the Urban Heritage Climate Observatory, is a a global platform that collects and integrates Earth observations).
Read the full description below.
Solution details
Space4UA is a online tool that combines space and citizen-generated data to monitor threats to Ukrainian cultural heritage. We are developing an application that combines space data, Earth observations as well as in-situ data provided by citizens (citizen-generated data) to monitor and document threats and damages to cultural heritage in conflict zones.
Target group: Cultural heritage managers, decision makers, civil society organisations in the public and private sector.
Tweet / Slogan
Our #innovative solution combines #space and #citizen-generated #data to document and #monitor threats to #Ukrainian #cultural #heritage! An online #digital tool that can be also used to raise #awareness and #mobilise #action among #university #students!
Resources
Our solution is built on the following resources:
● Single Page Application (SPA) developed using React.js, a popular JavaScript library for building dynamic web applications.
● It is displaying geographic information about the cultural heritage sites of Ukraine (specific locations and other info like type of damage) while it is incorporating data from other sources as well (such as air quality data and land use zones)
● The data presented either comes from static SQL databases or is retrieved through RESTful APIs.
● Backend system developed to allow users to log in with their personal information and submit reports on cultural events and damages. The backend system of the application was developed using Node.js and Express.js. Node.js is a runtime environment that allows you to run JavaScript on the server-side, while Express.js is a web application framework for Node.js
Context
In our Challenge, we aim to create an innovative tool to help protect Ukrainian cultural heritage. By combining space data with Earth observations and citizen-generated data, we developed an online tool (MVP) that monitors and documents damage to cultural heritage monuments in Ukraine.
Who Benefits?
Our solution targets cultural heritage managers, decision makers, civil society organisations in the public and private sector.
Impact
The impact of our solution is measured in the number of people who will use the online tool as well as the number of interventions planned to safeguard cultural heritage sites.
Team work
Our team is made of experts specialising in software development as well as cultural heritage and geography studies and community outreach.
Innovativeness
The innovative nature of our solution is reflected in its ability to:
a. bring together space data with citizen-generated data and in-situ data for cultural heritage protection and preservation;
b. integrate citizens’ observations, empowering thus communities;
c. provide up-to-date information of the status for cultural heritage on the ground.
d. raise global awareness about the importance of safeguarding cultural heritage in conflict areas.
Transferability
Our solution can be applied to other conflict zones worldwide. Students, staff and researchers can enhance their ability to work and analyse open space and geo data, while they'll increase their awareness in cultural heritage safeguarding.
Sustainability
To ensure sustainability of our solution, we envisage to:
● Develop the system further, pilot with more end users. Create synergies with other projects and networks such as CitiObs, GEO-UCHO, Data spaces networks, Europeana, other.
● Expand and seek funding opportunities/synergies/collaborations.