At the end of April 2025, IT experts from the Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU) and colleagues from the THW’s ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) department came together in Berlin as part of the KulturGutRetter project’s IT training programme. The aim of the workshop was to prepare the participants for joint operations in a practical way.
IT-Specialized training, Photo: Elvira Iacono, DAI
There were two main themes. Firstly, participants underwent training in the use of all digital devices that could be used in the CHRU, including the digital documentation system. Secondly, they practised setting up the planned network hardware and learnt the basics of network technology.
The workshop also provided an opportunity to get to know each other and exchange ideas: the IT experts from CHRU and the ICT colleagues from THW, who will be working together in future missions, were able to gain insights into their respective areas of responsibility and how they overlap.
Following a theoretical introduction to the objectives, activities and responsibilities of the IT and ICT teams, the IT equipment was set up and tested by two groups on the grounds of the Lepsius Kolleg at the DAI in Berlin.
Setting up the network mesh from house 1 to house 4. Photo:: Bernhard Fritsch, DAI
One group set up a local network in the basement of a neighbouring building to collect data. The other group set up a measurement system with a GNSS receiver to georeference the collected data. Various devices were then used to record test data, including a total station, a UAV, a 3D laser scanner and tablets with the CHRU’s standard system, the QField documentation app.
Data acquisition with UAV, GNSS and tablets. Photo: Elvira Iacono, DAI
On the second day of the workshop, the exercise setup was expanded to include a second location around 500 metres away at the DAI’s Wiegandhaus. This location was connected to the local network. This enabled successful documentation with tablets at two locations in parallel.
The programme concluded with an overview of the current status of the KulturGutRetter data model. Consequently, the IT experts can now swiftly identify and resolve any issues with QField or the tablet infrastructure that arise during use.
Network devices and measuring equipment (above), work on the KulturGutRetter data model and raw scan in 3D of the cellar of House 4. Photo:Sibel Erhan, DAI
The network technology used in the workshop and any weak points identified will be taken up in a follow-up workshop by the ICT colleagues. The final configuration of the devices will then be carried out, before they are included in the THW’s standard kits and made permanently available to the CHRU via the logistics centres.
In future, the trained IT experts from CHRU will also participate in specialised training courses for the Immovable Cultural Assets (ICA) and Movable Cultural Assets (MCA) departments, in order to support the development and operation of the IT architecture for the professional documentation of objects and processes.
The CHRU was developed by the KulturGutRetter project to provide rapid assistance for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage in crisis situations worldwide. The CHRU should be operational by the end of the year 2025.
The participants of the KulturGutRetter IT training programme. Photo: Bernhard Fritsch, DAI
