From 8 to 15 July, the DIRECT – Disaster and Recovery Team of the Polytechnic University of Turin completed its fourth mission on the island of Culuccia, in Sardinia, confirming the value of applied research and technological innovation. The initiative involved teachers and students of Engineering and Architecture courses, allowing them to experiment in the field with advanced tools and methods for the study of the coastal and marine ecosystem.
The mission was coordinated by professors Filiberto Chiabrando of the Department of Architecture and Design, Andrea Maria Lingua and Francesca Matrone of the Department of Environmental, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, with the participation of researchers Paolo Maschio, Stefania Manca and Edward Borgogno.
The focus of the expedition was the use of state-of-the-art 3D survey technologies, both terrestrial and underwater. Among the main activities carried out: bathymetric mapping with a remotely controlled vessel (USV), coastal surveys with drones for high-resolution photogrammetry, monitoring of beached posidonia, underwater surveys with the CRAB twin camera to analyze the Posidonia meadows and the use of a hyperspectral camera to assess the health of the marine ecosystem.
The project stems from the collaboration started in 2022 with the Biru s.r.l. farm, founded by Stella and Marco Boglione, with the aim of documenting, enhancing and monitoring the biodiversity and landscape of the island. The use of innovative technologies has made it possible to collect high-precision data and develop new methodologies for environmental monitoring, combining university education and cutting-edge scientific research.
