Detection and environmental impact assessment of shipwrecks using artificial intelligence

Karamitrou, Alexandra, Sturt, Fraser and Bogiatzis, Petros (2026) Detection and environmental impact assessment of shipwrecks using artificial intelligence. In, Saloul, Ihab and Baillie, Britt (eds.) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict. Springer Nature. (doi:10.1007/978-3-030-61493-5).

Abstract

This entry explores the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) for cultural heritage sites, focusing on its ability to handle limited datasets assessing the environmental implications of such sites and the ethical conflicts surrounding the use of such techniques. The study specifically investigates the application of supervised deep learning techniques to identify shipwrecks on coral reefs by detecting the changes in biology and chemistry in their surrounding environment causing a discoloration called black reef that can be visible in satellite imagery. By leveraging openly available imagery from platforms such as Google Earth and high-resolution commercial images from satellites like Vision-1, this research combines accessibility with detailed spatial resolution. This approach offers innovative insights into cultural heritage preservation and environmental conservation. Additionally, the ethical issues of the work produced by the incorporation of AI techniques in the detection of cultural heritage sites is discussed.

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Contributors

Author: Alexandra Karamitrou

Author: Fraser Sturt

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