Skip to main content
Log in

A multivariate approach for a comparison of big data matrices. Case study: thermo-hygrometric monitoring inside the Carcer Tullianum (Rome) in the absence and in the presence of visitors

  • Employ of Multivariate Analysis and Chemometrics in Cultural Heritage and Environment Fields
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the last decades, the very fast improvement of the analytical instrumentation has led to the possibility of quickly and easily getting a lot of data; in turn, the need of advanced statistical methods suitable to extract the full information furnished by instruments has increased. Such kind of data treatments is particularly important in any case of continuous monitoring of one or more parameters, so the microclimate monitoring is a typical example for this application. Microclimate control is essential in the conservation of Cultural Heritage (CH), but decisions on optimal conservation parameters cannot base only on existing norms that do not take into account the environment’s history. Often CH has survived for many centuries in conditions that must be considered risky but also a stable state (equilibrium) resulting from a long adaptation process during which a more or less heavy damage occurred to the materials. Any successive change of microclimate parameters has interrupted this equilibrium conditions and has induced further damage to material until a new equilibrium is reached; dimension and frequency of changes are proportional to the expected damage. This thermodynamic consideration provides the background for a CH conservation project based on microclimate control and highlights the importance of environmental monitoring for the identification of equilibrium parameters to be maintained. In 2010, we monitored the microclimate of an important historical building in Rome, the Mamertino Carcer, before its opening to visitors. One year later, we repeated the monitoring in the presence of visitors, and here, we present a careful choice of multivariate data treatments adopted for an enough, simple and immediate evaluation of the microclimatic changes; this allows an easier understanding also for persons with not too deep scientific background, such as Superintendents and, in turn, really useful information to provide suggestions for a conservation project. Results evidenced the expected loss of isolation of the site that occurred by opening to visitors; this led to wider excursions of both temperature and relative humidity and, in turn, to a worsening of the conservative conditions. Surely, a monitoring of particulate matter, correlated to air fluxes and, in turn, to microclimate, is of fundamental importance for the conservation of frescoes and will be object of one of our future diagnostic interventions in the site.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alamprese C, Amigo JM, Casiraghi E, Balling ES (2016) Identification and quantification of Turkey meat adulteration in fresh, frozen-thawed and cooked minced beef by FT-NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics. Meat Sci 121:175–181

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett MS (1938) Further aspects of the theory of multiple regression. Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 34, 33–40

  • EN 15757 (2010) Conservation of Cultural Property—Specifications for temperature and relative humidity to limit climate- induced mechanical damage inorganic hygroscopic materials. European Committee For Standardization, Brussels; 2010

  • EN 15758 (2010) Committee CEN/TC 346—Conservation of cultural property. Procedures and instruments for measuring temperatures of the air and the surfaces of objects. European Committee For Standardization, Brussels 2010

  • EN 15759–1 (2011) Committee CEN/TC 346: Conservation of cultural property—Indoor climate—Part 1: Guidelines for heating churches, chapels and other places of worship. European Committee For Standardization, Brussels; 2011

  • EN 16242-1 (2012) Conservation of Cultural Heritage—Procedures and instruments for measuring humidity in the air and moisture exchange between air and cultural property. European standard approved by CEN on September 2012

  • Fisher RA (1938) The statistical utilization of multiple measurements. Ann Eugenic 8:376–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fortini P (1998) Carcer tullianum il carcere mamertino al Foro romano. Mondadori Electa Ed, Rome. ISBN 8843566237. (italian)

  • Gizzi FT, Biscione M, Danese M, Deufemia V, Masini N, Murgante B, Paolino L, Saulino N, Sileo M, Potenza MR (2013) SAVHER: An App for smart and community shared approaches to the safeguard of cultural heritage. In: Lasaponara R, Masini N, Biscione M, Hernandez M (eds) Proceedings of the 4th EARSeL Workshop on Cultural and Natural Heritage "Earth observation: a window on the past", Matera (Italy), 6–7 June 2013, pp.252–260

  • Gizzi FT, Sileo M, Biscione M, Danese M, Álvarez de Buergo M (2015) The conservation state of the Sassi of Matera site (Southern Italy) and its correlation with the environmental conditions analysed through spatial analysis techniques. Journal of Cultural Heritage (in press). doi:10.1016/j.culher.2015.05.002

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammer O, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electron 4(1):9–19

    Google Scholar 

  • http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/carcer-tullianum/ - Volta3D, Carcer-Tullianum, Mamertino, Foro Romano, Roma Virtual. Accessed 31 October 2015

  • Karner DB, Lombardi L, Marra F, Fortini P, Renne PR (2001) Age of ancient monuments by means of building stone provenance: a case study of the Tullianum, Rome, Italy. J Archaeol Sci 28(4):387–393. doi:10.1006/jasc.2000.0567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohninger H, DataLab (2013) A Program for Statistical Data Analysis, Full Ver. 3.53, Available: http://www.lohninger.com/datalab/ Accessed June 2016

  • Massart DL, Smeyers-Verbeke J, Caprona X, Schlesierb K (2005) Visual presentation of data by means of box plots. LC-GC Europe 18(4):215–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Merello P., Garcia-Diego FJ, Zarzo M. (2012) Microclimate monitoring of Ariadne's house (Pompeii, Italy) for preventive conservation of fresco paintings. Chemistry Central Journal 6 Article Number: 145

  • Plattner SH, Reale R, Visco G, Papa M, Sammartino MP (2012) Proposal of a new analytical procedure for the measurement of water absorption by stone. Preliminary study for an alternative to the Italian technical normative NORMAL 07-81. Chem Cent J. 6:62. doi:10.1186/1752-153X-6-62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sablier M, Garrigues P (2014) Cultural heritage and its environment: an issue of interest for environmental science and pollution research. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:5769–5773. doi:10.1007/s11356-013-2458-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sammartino MP, Cau G, Reale R, Ronca S, Visco G (2012) A multidisciplinary diagnostic approach preliminary to the restoration of the country church “san Maurizio” located in Ittiri (SS), Italy. Chem Cent J. 6(Suppl 2):S11. doi:10.1186/2050-7445-2-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scatigno C, Gaudenzi S, Sammartino MP, Visco G (2016) A microclimate study on hypogea environments of ancient roman building. Sci Total Environ 566-567:298–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UNI 10586 (1997) Condizioni climatiche per ambienti di conservazione di documenti grafici e caratteristiche degli alloggiamenti. Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Rome; 1997. (italian)

  • UNI 10829 (1999) Beni di interesse storico artistico—Condizioni ambientali di conservazione – Misurazione ed analisi. Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Rome; 1999. (italian)

  • UNI 10969 (2002) Beni culturali—Principi generali per la scelta e il controllo del microclima per la conservazione dei beni culturali in ambienti interni. Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Rome; 2002. (italian)

  • UNI 11120 (2004) Beni culturali—Misurazione in campo della temperatura dell’aria e della superficie dei manufatti. Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Rome; 2004. (italian)

  • UNI 11131 (2005) Beni culturali—Misurazione in campo dell’umidità dell’aria. Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Rome; 2005. (italian)

  • Visco G, Plattner SH, Fortini P, Di Giovanni S, Sammartino MP (2012a) Microclimate monitoring in the Carcer Tullianum: temporal and spatial correlation and gradients evidenced by multivariate analysis; first campaign. Chem Cent J 6(S2):S11. doi:10.1186/1752-153X-6-S2-S11

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Visco G, Plattner SH, Fortini P, Sammartino MP (2012b) Second campaign of microclimate monitoring in the Carcer Tullianum: temporal and spatial correlation and gradients evidenced by multivariate analysis. Chem Cent J 6:104. doi:10.1186/1752-153X-6-104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young G, Householder AS (1938) Discussion of a set of points in terms of their mutual distances. Psychometrika 3:19–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zarzo M, Fernández-Navajas A, García-Diego FJ (2011) Long-term monitoring of fresco paintings in the Cathedral of Valencia (Spain) through humidity and temperature sensors in various locations for preventive conservation. Sensors 11:8685–8710. doi:10.3390/s110908685

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mariapia Sammartino.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Michel Sablier

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(XLS 10731 kb)

ESM 2

(XLS 4112 kb)

ESM 3

(DOCX 156 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Visco, G., Plattner, S.H., Fortini, P. et al. A multivariate approach for a comparison of big data matrices. Case study: thermo-hygrometric monitoring inside the Carcer Tullianum (Rome) in the absence and in the presence of visitors. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 13990–14004 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8751-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8751-9

Keywords

Navigation