DigiCURE: Building a Digital Humanities Infrastructure for Preserving and Studying At-risk Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The preservation of cultural heritage has become a societal, policy, and scientific priority in the context of climate change, armed conflicts, and rapid urbanization. Monuments, archaeological sites, and fragile materials are increasingly at risk of loss or irreversible damage. In response, DigiCURE (Digital Cultural Resilience and Protection) establishes a technologically advanced and institutionally anchored research infrastructure dedicated to the digitization, preservation, and analysis of endangered heritage. The aim of this paper is to present the DigiCURE research infrastructure, providing high-quality tools, expertise, and training to support sustainable digital preservation through multimodal documentation, spatial visualization, and data modeling. Its online platform enables researchers, heritage professionals, and the public to explore, analyze, and annotate complex multimodal datasets with AI-assisted methods, even in cases where physical access is no longer possible. DigiCURE functions as both a national and international hub for innovative research, ensuring the long-term accessibility and resilience of vulnerable cultural heritage.