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STORM · Project

Smart Platform to Protect Cultural Heritage Sites from Climate and Natural Disasters

environmentPilotedTRL 6
storm-project.eu

Imagine you manage an ancient monument or historic building, and a big storm or flood is heading your way — but you have no idea how bad the damage might be or what to protect first. STORM built an early-warning system that combines weather prediction, special sensors, drone surveys, and even social media monitoring to tell site managers exactly what threats are coming and how to respond. Think of it like a weather app meets a security system, but specifically designed for irreplaceable heritage sites. It was tested at real locations across Italy, Greece, the UK, Portugal, and Turkey.

By the numbers
EUR 7,297,875
EU funding for development
20
consortium partners
7
countries represented
5
countries with pilot test sites
51
total project deliverables
9
demo/prototype deliverables
6
industry partners in consortium
4
SMEs in consortium
The business problem

What needed solving

Historic buildings, monuments, and archaeological sites across Europe face accelerating damage from extreme weather, floods, earthquakes, and climate change — but site managers lack integrated tools to predict threats, assess risks to specific materials and structures, and coordinate emergency responses. Current monitoring is fragmented, reactive, and often relies on invasive inspection methods that can themselves damage irreplaceable heritage.

The solution

What was built

STORM delivered a full integrated platform including: a Web-GIS mapping interface, a risk management and assessment tool, a cloud-based situational awareness and decision support system, social media crowdsensing applications, resilient communication services, novel sensor systems (fluorescent and wireless acoustic), and a collaboration and knowledge-sharing platform — all tested as a unified system across pilot sites in 5 countries.

Audience

Who needs this

Heritage site management authorities and archaeological park operatorsMunicipal governments responsible for historic city districtsInsurance companies underwriting cultural heritage propertiesEnvironmental consultancy firms specializing in climate risk assessmentTourism operators managing heritage destinations vulnerable to climate events
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Cultural Heritage Management
any
Target: Heritage site management organizations, museum networks, and archaeological park authorities

If you are a heritage site manager dealing with increasing weather-related damage to historic structures — STORM developed an integrated cloud platform with Web-GIS mapping, risk assessment tools, and sensor networks that predict environmental threats before they cause harm. The system was tested across 5 countries with 20 consortium partners and includes drone and LiDAR survey capabilities for non-invasive monitoring.

Insurance & Risk Assessment
enterprise
Target: Insurance companies covering heritage properties and cultural assets

If you are an insurer struggling to accurately assess climate risk for heritage buildings and monuments — STORM created a risk management tool that models how different materials and structures respond to extreme weather, floods, and seismic events. The platform processes complex event data and delivers risk scores based on real environmental monitoring from sensors and crowdsourced reports across 5 pilot countries.

Smart City & Municipal Services
enterprise
Target: City governments and municipal heritage departments responsible for historic districts

If you are a city authority responsible for maintaining historic districts while facing more frequent extreme weather — STORM built a cloud-based situational awareness and decision support system that integrates GIS mapping, social media crowdsensing, and resilient communication services. The platform was developed by a consortium of 20 partners including 6 industry players and tested at heritage sites in Italy, Greece, the UK, Portugal, and Turkey.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this system at our heritage site?

The STORM project had a total EU contribution of EUR 7,297,875 across 20 partners over 3 years. Deployment costs for individual sites are not specified in the project data. Contact the coordinator for licensing or service pricing.

Can this scale beyond the original pilot sites?

The system was designed on an open cloud infrastructure, which supports scaling to additional sites. It was tested across 5 countries (Italy, Greece, UK, Portugal, Turkey) with different types of heritage assets, demonstrating adaptability to diverse environments and building types.

What about IP and licensing — can we use this technology?

The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon 2020. IP is typically shared among the 20 consortium partners. The coordinator, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica SPA, is a major IT company and likely the primary contact for licensing discussions.

What sensors and hardware does this require?

STORM integrates novel intra-fluorescent and wireless acoustic sensors alongside legacy monitoring systems. It also uses LiDAR and UAV (drone) platforms for non-invasive surveying. The cloud-based architecture means much of the analysis runs remotely.

How does the crowdsourcing component work?

The platform connects to major social networks to extract posts tagged with heritage-related hashtags (e.g., #saveTroia). It provides APIs for operators to query multiple social networks in parallel, enabling massive data extraction for situational awareness during emergencies.

Is this proven in real-world conditions?

Yes. Results were tested in relevant case studies across 5 countries: Italy, Greece, UK, Portugal, and Turkey. The sites were selected to represent the diversity of European cultural heritage. Multiple prototype deliverables were produced and deployed.

Does it meet regulatory requirements for heritage protection?

Based on available project data, STORM was designed to support effective adaptation and mitigation strategies aligned with European cultural heritage management practices. Specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned in the project documentation.

Consortium

Who built it

The STORM consortium is large and well-balanced with 20 partners from 7 countries, combining 6 industry players (including 4 SMEs), 5 universities, and 4 research organizations. The coordinator, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica SPA, is one of Italy's largest IT and software companies — a serious technology integrator, not a small lab. The 30% industry ratio signals genuine commercial interest, and the geographic spread across Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and the UK ensures the solution was tested against diverse heritage types and climate conditions. For a potential buyer, this means the technology has been shaped by both academic rigor and real-world industry requirements.

How to reach the team

Engineering Ingegneria Informatica SPA is a major Italian IT company — their innovation or R&D department handles EU project follow-ups. Search for their STORM project team leads on LinkedIn.

Order a report on this consortiumSee ENGINEERING - INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA SPA profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the STORM team about deploying their heritage protection platform? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help assess fit for your specific sites.

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