A GIS tool for the management of seismic emergencies in historical centers: how to choose the optimal routes for civil protection interventions

Italy hosts a considerable part of the world's great art treasures. This great heritage must be protected from risks deriving from a territory characterized by hydrogeological problems and high seismicity. For these reasons, despite the preventive measures that can be foreseen, the need to face emergencies is recurrent. The main instrument to address the hydrogeological and seismic emergencies is the Municipal Civil Protection Emergency Plan. In this plan, both strategic viability and strategic buildings (whose collapse could cause significant damage to the historical, artistic and cultural heritage) must be identified.The paper proposes a methodology, using a GIS platform, useful for achieving two objectives: (1) planning of safe routes in case of critical conditions and (2) identification and planning of safety interventions, thus assigning appropriate priorities to the buildings to be restored, based not only on their relevance to road use, but also on cost considerations....