WSNs for structural health monitoring of historical buildings

Abstract

Monitoring structural health of historical heritage buildings may be a daunting task for civil engineers due to the lack of a pre-existing model for the building stability, and to the presence of strict constraints on monitoring device deployment. This paper reports on the experience maturated during a project regarding the design and implementation of an innovative technological framework for monitoring critical structures in Sicily, Italy. The usage of wireless sensor networks allows for a pervasive observation over the sites of interest in order to minimize the potential damages that natural phenomena may cause to architectural or engineering works. Moreover, the system provides real-time feedback to the civil engineer that may promptly steer the functioning of the monitoring network, also remotely accessing sensed data via Web interfaces.