Digitalisation and Multi-Modal Integration of NDT and Remote Sensing Data for Coastal Heritage Monitoring: The Reculver Towers Demonstrator

Delphina Naa Darkoa Darko; Omar Abdillahi Osman; Mohammad Kargar; Moein Motavallizadeh Naeini; Saeed Parnow; Malte Ressin; Tesfaye Tessema; Ilaria Catapano; Sebastiano D’Amico; David Daou; Atif Mohammed Ghani; Alba L’Astorina; Neil Linford; Fabio Tosti

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Digitalisation and Multi-Modal Integration of NDT and Remote Sensing Data for Coastal Heritage Monitoring: The Reculver Towers Demonstrator

Delphina Naa Darkoa Darko

^{*

1, 2},

Omar Abdillahi Osman

^{1, 2},

Mohammad Kargar

^{1, 2},

Moein Motavallizadeh Naeini

^{1, 2},

Saeed Parnow

^{1, 2},

Malte Ressin

^{1, 2},

Tesfaye Tessema

^{1, 2},

Ilaria Catapano

³,

Sebastiano D’Amico

⁴,

David Daou

⁵,

Atif Mohammed Ghani

⁶,

Alba L’Astorina

³,

Neil Linford

⁷,

Fabio Tosti

^{1, 2}

¹ School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
² The Faringdon Research Centre for Non-Destructive Testing and Remote Sensing, University of West London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
³ National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA), Naples, Italy
⁴ Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Geosciences Department, Msida, Malta
⁵ Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University (UNU-EHS), Bonn, Germany
⁶ Royal College of Art, School of Communication, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
⁷ Historic England, Geophysics Team, Portsmouth, United Kingdom of Great Britain

Academic Editor: Fabio Tosti

Published: 26 June 2026 by MDPI in The 1st International Online Conference on Non-Destructive Testing session Digitalization of NDT Data

Abstract:

The digitalisation of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) data is critical for the preservation of heritage assets. This paper presents the technical development of a digital demonstrator for the British Academy-funded project, BLUE-HeArTS (BLUE Heritage through Art, Technology, and Science), which connects scientific monitoring with artistic narratives.

This study focuses on the Reculver Towers in Kent, UK, a heritage site highly vulnerable to coastal erosion. A 3D Unity model was engineered, integrating high-resolution laser scans of the towers with surface-related remote-sensing data such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Land Surface Temperature maps.

Additionally, the model also incorporates topographically corrected Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) radargrams to visualise the structural integrity of sea defence areas ¹. By digitalising these datasets, the system allows for a holistic assessment of climate-driven risks ^{2, 3}.

Technical viability was evaluated using established geospatial extended reality metrics ⁴. This formed the basis for frame-rate profiling and processing unit utilisation across different hardware configurations to measure efficiency while preventing motion sickness⁴.

Initial results demonstrate that integrating dense GPR and hyperspectral data offers a novel diagnostic tool, though rendering complexity remains a primary bottleneck, underscoring the need for optimisation in heritage conservation digitisation workflows.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the project BLUE-HeArTS (January – September 2026), funded by the British Academy under the "Pump Priming Collaboration between UK and EU Partners 2026" programme (Award Reference: PPHE26\100311). This research was supported by the Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship at the University of West London.

References

[1] N. Linford, Historic England 2020.

[2] A. Ghani, 2024.

[3] F. Tosti, I. Catapano, A. M. Ghani, D. Daou, S. D'Amico, A. Lastorina, N. Linford, M. Naeini , T. Tessema, 2026.

[4] E. Atsakpo, F. Mercogliano, S. Uzor, P. Saadati, A. Barone, F. Accomando, R. Castaldo, I. Catapano, P. Tizzani , F. Tosti, 2025.

Keywords: Digitalisation; NDT Data Fusion; Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR); Remote Sensing, Unity 3D; Coastal Heritage Monitoring;