The Rome of “great events”: mapping and diachronic analysis at the city-territory scale. The impact of a century and a half of extraordinary interventions. – This survey offers an accurate analysis of the major events held in Rome since the beginning of the 20th century. The time under review starts with the 1900 Jubilee, when the organization of hosting activities was for the first time under the responsibility of Italian authorities with specific economic support for reception facilities, and with the 1908 Olympics, where the planned venue for sporting events anticipates some of the choices made for Rome 1960 Olympics. The latter were strongly advocated by Pope Pius X, but in the end canceled by decision of Giolitti with similar motivations to the “no” expressed by Monti for the Rome 2020 event. The time spans up to the next Jubilee to be held in 2025 with the PNRR- financed projects.
Through a GIS mapping of planned and/or implemented interventions, and a comparative analysis with official ante quem and post quem cartography, the pilot survey aims at highlighting how much and how the “extraordinary” influences the “ordinary”, that is, how much targeted interventions in the city specifically needed for a major event impacts and directs its transformation, pointing out how the “extraordinary” is binding for the “ordinary” in individual case studies.

Ripensare i rifiuti agricoli per la bioenergia nelle aree rurali: un modello di applicazione per la provincia di Foggia (Puglia, Italia). – Studi recenti e agende politiche internazionali si concentrano sempre più sulle geografie dei rifiuti e sull’equilibrio degli obiettivi di sostenibilità nelle politiche energetiche, rivelando problemi soprattutto nell’implementazione su scala locale. Sebbene l’uso della biomassa residua proveniente dai rifiuti agricoli e zootecnici per la produzione di energia rappresenti attualmente una delle fonti alternative più promettenti per la produzione di energia e il raggiungimento degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile, inclusa la riduzione dei rifiuti, delle emissioni inquinanti, la conservazione di beni preziosi, paesaggi e biodiversità, è scarsamente incentivato e sviluppato a causa di varie limitazioni. Questa ricerca mira a sviluppare un modello sostenibile per la produzione di energia dai rifiuti agricoli con la tecnologia appropriata, ancora poco considerata ma compatibile con le risorse, i valori e i vincoli locali. A tal fine, si considerano le specifiche caratteristiche e potenzialità locali, utilizzando una metodologia qualitativa-quantitativa applicata in un’area di particolare interesse nella regione Puglia.

La ristrutturazione del qanatscape come infrastruttura verde-blu-culturale delle città storiche nella regione arida dell’Iran. – Un’infrastruttura rispettosa dell’ambiente ha creato la civiltà delle terre aride dell’Iran circa 3000 anni fa, il sistema idrico Qanat, una struttura creata dall’uomo che consiste in tunnel sotterranei che partono da falde acquifere alluvionali alla testa delle valli e che conducono l’acqua su lunghe distanze usando la gravità per irrigare le terre aride e piatte. Una visione olistica di un paesaggio basato sui qanat crea il termine “Qanatscape” per concettualizzare le caratteristiche paesag-gistiche uniche dei qanat, dalla scala del sito alla scala intermedia, il tutto nel contesto della scala regionale. Rivitalizzare il modello del Qanatscape significa scavare nell’ordine, nella gerarchia, nell’uso del suolo e nel ciclo ottimale dell’acqua e trovare un modo per migliorare lo sviluppo sostenibile e la qualità del paesaggio quotidiano.
Yazd è un caso di studio degno di nota in quanto si è evoluto dal modello del Qanatscape. Il paesaggio di Yazd è stato esaminato attraverso narrazioni orali e analisi/interpretazione di immagini di vecchie mappe, foto aeree e immagini satellitari periodiche per scoprire il modello. Infine, attraverso una ricostruzione critica, il Qanatscape viene proposto come infrastruttura “verde-blu-culturale” di città e villaggi storici aridi dell’Iran. Il modello può servire come modello per un uso più sostenibile dell’acqua in Iran, producendo cibo, qualità della vita e un senso di appartenenza e identità, soprattutto di fronte al cambiamento climatico.

Remote sensing methods for burnout mapping and burn severity evaluation. The case of Trieste and Gorizia karst area in the summer of 2022. – Human beings are the principal agents of forest fires. In Friuli Venezia Giulia more than 90% of fires are of arson origin although the fire development and impact depend on land cover and weather conditions. During the second half of 2022, a serious fire broke out in Doberdò del Lago and blazed for a good ten days in a transnational karst area among Trieste, Gorizia and Sezana. During the fire, over 4000 hectares of forest went up in smoke. This paper shows the use of Remote Sensing methodology in a GIS environment to measure the effects of the fire, i.e. to map the burnt area. The 2022 event has been assessed by elaborating some pre and post fire ESA Sentinel 2 imagery (Copernicus project). The authors mapped the burnt areas and compared the result with the official mapping, surveyed in the field by the public authorities. They also made a spatial evaluation

Geospatial methodologies for the monitoring of eutrophication of water bodies. – As collective awareness of environmental issues increases, the debate on water pollution becomes more focused on all anthropogenic activities (industrial, agricultural and domestic discharges, waste management) that cause water eutrophication. This paper aims to highlight how the use of GIS makes it possible to examine soil erosion and to calculate the theoretical load re-located over time in watersheds by human activities. The USLE/RUSLE and CREAMS models, coupled with satellitary data, allow to examine the evolution of land and watersheds. In the first part of the paper, the focus was on the Mediterranean, one of the most polluted seas on the planet; in the second part, the watersheds of the Rio Santa Lucia, Rio San Girolamo and other minor ones in south-western Sardinia were investigated. The research highlighted the connection between spatial planning and environmental processes, underlining the importance of best practices of territory management, especially in contexts with water vulnerability. The objective is to set up an integrated methodology to monitor soil erosion and eutrophication of water resources, in order to identify strategies and actions to mitigate these phenomena.

The rediscovery of transhumance routes in the Matese area of Campania. Paths and economic chains. – The Matese mountain complex is part of the southern Apennines chain and currently divides the Campania and Molise regions. Inhabited since the pre-Roman age by Samnite people, throughout history it has represented a place of transit between the Campania plain and the Adriatic side. With the establishment and regulation of the Regi Trat-turi in the Aragonese era, part of the ancient walkways that crossed the Matese were used by the shepherds of the Campania side to connect with the main Pescasseroli-Candela sheep track that surrounds the mountain complex in the Molise part. Until the 18th century, sheep breeding and the production of woolen cloths represented among the most important items for the economy of the territories located on the Campania side of Matese. Centers such as Piedimonte d'Alife (today Piedimonte Matese), Cerreto Sannita, Cusano and Morcone based their economic well-being on these activities for a long time, so much so that they are considered among the most active centers of the ancient Kingdom. The purpose of this study is the rediscovery of this network of paths and of the ancient connected economic chains as a fundamental prerequisite for a development proposal for the area, which is currently experiencing a period of profound economic stagnation with consequent depopulation. The methodology used refers to the analysis of historical documentary and cartographic sources and the GIS will be used for the identification and tracing of these paths.

App GIS-based per le Smart Tourist Destinations nel Governatorato di Muscat, Oman. – Le ICT e il turismo giocano ruoli fondamentali nello sviluppo delle economie globali emergenti, offrendo opportunità e strumenti strategici per promuovere la crescita delle mete. Le Destinazioni Turistiche Smart (STD) utilizzano strumenti e tecnologie disponibili per co-creare valore ed esperienze immersive per i turisti, generando nel contempo profitti e benefici per le organizzazioni e la destinazione nel suo complesso.
Il presente contributo espone nella sua totalità le fasi dello sviluppo di un’applicazione per smartphone progettata per l’esplorazione del territorio dell’Oman, comprendente le sue diverse risorse naturali e culturali, infrastrutture turistiche e strutture ricettive. La metodologia impiegata comprende la raccolta dati da fonti primarie, la georeferenziazione di numerosi punti di riferimento naturali, culturali e ricreativi, e l’utilizzo degli strumenti Arc-GIS e Google Earth per l’elaborazione dei dati. L’applicazione sviluppata si dimostra essere uno strumento intelligente e reattivo, in grado di soddisfare le esigenze del turismo esperienziale. Offre agli utenti la possibilità di personalizzare iti-nerari in linea con i loro gusti, preferenze ed esigenze. Integrando tecnologie all’avanguardia e dati geografici, l’applicazione per l’esplorazione dell’Oman porta le esperienze turistiche a nuove vette, mettendo in evidenza le diverse attrazioni del paese. Questo articolo specifico presenta le considerazioni finali alla luce di una serie di cambiamenti ambientali e territoriali che sono avvenuti durante la fase di validazione.

NRRP and Inland Areas. A Reflection on Inclusion and Cohesion Strategies in tge Grecanica Subregion. – The work aims to analyse the possible role that the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) may have for the Inner Grecanica Area (Calabria Region), in the margins of the work plan implemented by the SNAI (National Strategy for Inner Areas). The objective of this contribution is therefore twofold. On the one hand, to map the main results of the local development plan of the SNAI in the Grecanici territories; on the other hand, to verify the current needs of the area in question within the framework of Missions 4 and 5 of the PNRR, with particular regard to the components related to: i) the strengthening of the supply of educational services linked to the re-appropriation of the Grecanici language and culture; ii) social infrastructures; iii) special interventions for territorial cohesion. Through semi-structured interviews administered to institutional actors and to the component of cultural associations, social promotion, foundations, and non-profit organisations of the local community, an attempt will be made to identify social, educational and cultural developments and marginalities in the Grecanica Area and thus to verify whether they can find a response from the reforms envisaged by the PNRR. By means of GIS mapping, the scientific community and those who are working in the sector will be provided with a picture of the Grecanica area, following the policies launched by the SNAI, from which to reflect on the “reforms” envisaged by the PNRR for the Region of Calabria.

Calabrian ways: religious itinerary for Geography’s path. – In recent years, historical, religious, food and wine and cultural itineraries have become increas-ingly important for the discovery of Italian villages and landscapes: in constant growth is the interest in these tools of knowledge of the history and heritage of Italy.
This work proposes the creation of geo-itineraries based on historical studies concerning the life of two Calabrian monks. The creation of these itineraries, through Gis technology, would lead to the enhancement of still little-known villages, belonging to the internal areas of Calabria, and, at the same time, the rediscovery of the relationship between the tourist and the landscape.

The valorization of the natural and cultural heritage of the territory of Grassano and Grottole in Basilicata for sustainable tourism: geomorphological and GIS analysis for planning sustainable tourism itineraries. – The recognition of Matera as European Capital of Culture 2019 will certainly serve in the near future to channel more effectively part of the tourist flow towards the inner areas. Therefore, a study of a significant portion of the inner area of Matera was undertaken, aimed at collecting elements of the physical landscape that would act as a landscape “frame” for the formulation of hypotheses of routes with “multiple” values. In fact, the study area includes the villages of Grassano and Grottole, which have elements of cultural interest that are useful for valorising the itinerary to be proposed. The knowledge of the geographical elements of the study area, the accurate analysis of the forms of the physical landscape and the geomorphological processes that have generated them, the inventory of the main cultural attractions of the two villages located in the study area, as well as the use of a geographical information system, have made it possible to design the route proposed in this article.

Interactive apps for the tourist enhancement of Oman. – Many tourist destinations are embracing ICT in order to become an STD (Smart Tourist Destination), a place that uses the available tools and techniques to allow demand and supply to co-create value, pleasure, and experiences for the tourist in addition to wealth, profits, and benefits for organizations and the destination. The main aim of this paper is to present the prototype of an application for smartphones to explore the territory of Oman in relation to its resources (natural and cultural), infrastructure and accommodation for tourism purposes sector. The methodology provided for: the collection of data from the main statistical sources, the acquisition of geographical maps, the georeferencing of a substantial number of natural, cultural and recreational resources, the use of the Arc-GIS and Google Earth tools for data processing, the compilation and addition of text information to feature locations in tables, and the use of specific software for programming the app. The main goal of the app is to meet the needs of experiential tourism through interactivity that allows the users to obtain itineraries that reflect their tastes, needs and preferences.

Convergence of web design and spatial, statistical, genomic and epidemiological information: the case of geo-dashboards in the Covid-19 crisis. – In response to the Covid-19 outbreak several organizations, as well as private citizens, considered the opportunity to design and publish online geospatial dashboards (geo-dashboard), blending geographical, graphical and statistical representation approaches. In particular, in this paper geo-dashboards are reviewed and conceptualized in the framework of online explanatory data visualization tools and GIS. The study presents the analysis of a significant number of relevant publicly available geo-dashboards to track, visualize, and communicate indicators related to the epidemic outbreak. Covid-19 is a significant case study on how and how much public communication in a pandemic crisis uses spatially related data and technique.

Recensione a 

Massimiliano Grava, Camillo Berti, Nicola Gabellieri, Arturo Gallia, Historical GIS. Strumenti digitali per la geografia storica in Italia, coll. “Studi Monografici” AIC, n.4, Trieste, EUT , 2020.

Land use changes, human activities (deforestation, agriculture, urban sprawl, ecc.) and abnormal weather events are the common reasons of hydrological problems like floods or landslides. Neglecting the terraced landscape, for example, reduced several times the drainage capacity of the water network surface, increasing the hydrological risks. In this paper we study terraced agricultural system of two villages (Prosecco and Contovello) near Trieste. First at all, we gave a detailed description of this rural landscape. Then, we applied a GIS analysis in order to evaluate main changes in the last forty years, overlaying not homogeneous cartography sources (aerial IGM photos of the 1974 and current ortophotos). So, we identified neglecting processes and reforestation dynamics of this terraced landscape. In a restyling perspective, we identified main local tourist attractions. Finally, we hypothesized a pathway aimed at sustainable tourism.

The reflection on the combination of landscape and GIS is certainly very broad. In addition to presenting a recent national and international literature, it may positively rely on some crucial questions that regional policies are facing, ranging from the operation to management, from the involvement at real participation of the community in the culture of landscape and a new way of representing it. If the landscape has become more and more a border line, the GIS is a real system of knowledge, with which it is possible to build interpretative models of real problems, which derivation leads to the idea of collective landscape.