Data management for risk assessment of cultural heritage

Historic masonry churches represent a significant component of cultural heritage, embodying historical, architectural, and social values while simultaneously facing increasing threats from natural and anthropogenic hazards. Their preservation is further challenged by structural vulnerability, aging materials, limited maintenance resources, and the large number of assets requiring protection. In this context, risk assessment and management are essential tools for supporting intervention prioritization and informed decision-making. This doctoral research proposes a multi-level and multi-criteria methodology for the assessment and management of risk in cultural heritage assets, with particular focus on European existing masonry churches and seismic risk. The framework is structured into five progressive levels of analysis, ranging from large-scale qualitative screening to detailed quantitative assessments. The methodology is designed to adapt to different levels of knowledge, data availability, and assessment objectives. The research includes a critical review of existing vulnerability and risk assessment approaches, the analysis of relevant hazard typologies, and the development of an operational framework supported by a spreadsheet-based tool integrated with GIS resources. The proposed approach is validated through case studies involving historic masonry churches in Italy, with applications in the city of Matera, and in the Romanian region of Banat, allowing the assessment of its applicability in different geographical and regulatory contexts. The main contributions of the research include the development of a risk-based framework that integrates hazard, vulnerability, and exposure; the adoption of a dual class-and-score evaluation system to support both comparison and prioritization; the incorporation of a multi-hazard perspective; and the creation of a practical decision-support tool for heritage managers and public authorities.