‘Innovate for Impact’ Award Recognizes Pioneering Efforts by Khalifa University’s ENGEOS Lab in Applying AI to Cultural Heritage Preservation
An AI-related technology developed by a Khalifa University team led by Assistant Professor Dr. Diana Francis, Head of Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) Lab, has brought honor for Dubai Culture and Arts Authority by winning the ‘Innovate for Impact’ award at the Artificial Intelligence for the Public Good Summit in Geneva.
The award was presented in the ‘Smart Home/Cities’ category at the Summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations’ specialized agency for digital technologies. The award recognizes pioneering efforts in applying AI to cultural heritage preservation and archeology.
Dr. Diana Francis said: “We are delighted that a technology combining satellite data and machine learning developed by our team of researchers at Khalifa University’s ENGEOS Lab has won such a prestigious award from ITU, a United Nations agency. This award recognizes the novelty and impact of the AI-remote sensing applications to archaeology activities which we have been developing at Khalifa University since 2020.”
The technology developed at Khalifa University has also been applied to other archeological sites in the UAE. In collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the Khalifa University researchers helped investigate sites of archeological importance in Al Ain to identify the presence of ancient Aflaj Systems and the Um an-Nar tombs.
Dr. Francis’ project applied machine learning algorithms to high-resolution satellite imagery, and advanced image processing techniques to detect and map concealed archaeological features with remarkable accuracy. This groundbreaking approach by the ENGEOS Lab holds other far-reaching implications, particularly in addressing the challenges of remote sensing in desert environments like the UAE, where classic satellite imagery can be compromised by the fact that archaeological sites get buried under the sand with time.
Clarence Michael
English Editor – Specialist
