Cyclopean Isles
BridgET Mt. Etna Summer School
BridgET aims to create innovative and inclusive teaching methods that enhance key skills and scientific knowledge in 3D geological mapping, facilitating reliable integration of multi-scale geospatial datasets from both onshore and offshore environments. Its goal is to establish standardized workflows for 3D reconstructions of coastal areas and underwater settings. The accurate integration of terrestrial and submerged geospatial datasets highlights a significant gap in coastal management that still needs urgent attention in many countries. This gap is particularly critical given the pressing environmental challenges posed by climate change, rising sea levels, and various tectonic and marine geohazards. Through project activities, BridgET will strive to innovate how coastal and marine geosciences are taught. It will emphasize using Virtual Reality (VR) not just as a tool to boost student engagement in exploring and understanding coastal and underwater environments, but also as a means to foster inclusion within the geosciences field.
The project aims to create innovative and inclusive learning experiences by organizing specialized summer schools for MSc students. These schools will emphasize hands-on engagement with different methods and techniques used in geospatial data acquisition and processing, facilitating the seamless creation of 3D models (specifically Digital Terrain Models - DTM) of coastal areas.
Three case studies have been selected to approach a coastal geohazard assessment based on an immersive observation of geomorphological data/geological phenomena and human interaction with physical processes from multiple perspectives. Practical activities will be carried out:
- in Santorini Island (Greece)
- on Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy)
- in the Rep. of the Maldives, Magoodhoo Island (Faafu Atoll)
The Mt. Etna Summer School took place in Aci Trezza, Sicily, from September 30 to October 11, 2023. Twenty-four students from six partner universities attended the program. One highlight of the activities was the data collection on Lachea Island, which exemplified multi-sensor data integration by showcasing the island’s geomorphological variability both above and below the water surface.
Riccardo Strada, the MPA president, guides students in discovering the marvelous marine environment and unique geological formations
Lachea Island is part of the Cyclopean Archipelago. In 1988, the "Lachea Island and Archipelago Integral Nature Reserve” was established to protect the area's flora and fauna, spanning the supralittoral to infralittoral zones ( https://www.isoleciclopi.it/) . The BridgET Summer School team and participants express their gratitude to the MPA of Ciclopi Islands and the Comune di Aci Castello for their hospitality.
The island's unique geological features make it vulnerable to rockfalls and slope instability, which can challenge tourist access. Thus, assessing geohazards is crucial for effective risk evaluation and mitigation strategies.
With guidance from INGV researchers, students explored the basalts of Aci Castello
Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are aircraft operated remotely without a pilot onboard. In coastal mapping, UAVs are equipped with advanced sensors and high-resolution cameras to capture detailed imagery and data of shorelines and coastal features.
During the Summer School, the UNIMIB and Orthodrone research teams organized various field activities focused on drone-based data collection at multiple sites, including Aci Trezza, Lachea Island , and Mt. Etna
The R2Sonic 2022 is a top-tier Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) built for accurate underwater mapping and surveying. It employs advanced sonar technology to produce highly detailed 3D models of the seafloor.
Prof. Alessandra Savini is demonstrating the R2 2022 MBES system to the summer school attendees.
The surveys conducted on Geonautics coastal hydrographic vessel with the pole-mounted UNIMIB ’s MBES, provided high resolution bathymetric data that unveiled the volcanic formation outcropping from the seafloor.
A UAS LIDAR survey conducted with a RIGEL lidar mounted on a DJI Matrice 350RTK by the Orthodrone team enabled the creation of point clouds stretching along the coast of Aci Trezza and the Cylopean Isles.
MBES and UAS data integration
Multi-source Data Integration
A big thank you to everyone involved—participants, partners, and sponsors. Your contributions made this experience truly memorable!
