Italy’s Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT) and Finmeccanica have signed an agreement under which the latter will provide, free of charge, technologies and services for monitoring and protecting the archaeological site of Pompeii.

The site, one of the most famous and fragile archaeological venues in the world, is facing a number of urgent challenges and the new agreement will contribute to the protection and enhancement of Pompei. Finmeccanica is also keen to restore the Campania region where it employs more than 6,000 people.

This agreement not only involves Selex ES and Telespazio, but also all the key institutional bodies concerned (MiBACT, the Great Pompeii Project, the Special Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, Directorate-General for Antiquities).

This first step following the agreement was the provision of a secure system for the interoperability of mobile radio communications on the site and implementation of collaborative apps available on the smartphones of predefined users (security officers, technical bodies, etc).

The system allows the security officers, provided with radio equipment (both analogue and TETRA), to communicate in an integrated manner, ensuring maximum coordination in the execution of control and prevention activities within the site. Selex ES will be supplying TETRA equipment specifically designed for security and territorial control applications.

The Smart Apps being implemented consist of a collaborative service for friend users (site operators, security officers) which, via a smartphone app, makes it possible to send alarms or messages for the prompt reporting of any anomalous situations or requesting immediate assistance (e.g. acts of vandalism/damage to structures, medical assistance or security service intervention).

With this application the user’s location is pin-pointed on the Pompeii site and their position, as well as the type of intervention requested, is immediately communicated to the operators in the control room who can then activate the necessary measures involving the relevant organisations.

Picture courtesy Kim Traynor