REscuing the MEteo-hydrological Data Heritage for the Early Italian meteorological services Period
ProgettoNon era previsto abstract in Italiano . In inglese. Reconstructing past meteo-hydrological records is essential to assess present climate deviations from natural variability. Although Italy holds exceptionally rich observational heritage, much data remains available only in paper or image format, limiting their scientific use. Their systematic digitization and valorization therefore represent a key priority. REMEDH-EIP addresses this gap by significantly advancing Italian climate reconstruction over the past 160 years, with particular focus on the Early Period of the Italian Meteorological Services (pre-1940s, and especially before the establishment of the Hydrographic Service in 1917), which remains largely unexplored, despite the existence of numerous observational records. REMEDH-EIP will expand the spatial and temporal coverage of rescued datasets, including underexploited meteorological variables, beyond precipitation and temperature, as well as hydrometric observations.
The project targets a wide range of historical sources, including annals, bulletins, observatory registers, hydrological yearbooks, spanning the period from the establishment of the national observing network in 1865 to the Second World War. This material will be systematically inventoried, digitized, and transformed into machine-readable datasets. A novel dataset of historical flood events will also be developed through the integration of documentary and observational sources.
REMEDH-EIP adopts an innovative and integrated framework, combining Machine Learning and Optical Character Recognition (ML/OCR) with large-scale Citizen Science engagement. ML/OCR will enable the automated extraction, structuring, and preliminary quality control of large volumes of data, while citizen participation will support validation, refinement, and the digitization of materials less suitable for ML/OCR. This iterative interaction represents a significant advancement over traditional sequential digitization approaches.
New digitized data will be integrated with existing datasets and homogenized to produce reliable long-term time series, enabling key applications such as improved high-resolution climate grids, reconstruction of extreme events, discharge series, and hydrological modelling of long-term runoff.
The originality of REMEDH-EIP also lies in the scientific impact of the recovered data. Their integration with recent initiatives (e.g., ANNHYDRO, SIREN) will extend Italian climate reconstructions by about 80 years, strengthening analyses of long-term variability and extremes. The project is carried out by six Research Units, ensuring complementary and multidisciplinary expertise and national coverage. Alongside scientific dissemination, REMEDH-EIP will promote public engagement through targeted activities involving schools and citizens. Overall, it will establish scalable workflows for sustained digitization beyond the project duration, consolidating a strategic research field with strong future development potential.
The project targets a wide range of historical sources, including annals, bulletins, observatory registers, hydrological yearbooks, spanning the period from the establishment of the national observing network in 1865 to the Second World War. This material will be systematically inventoried, digitized, and transformed into machine-readable datasets. A novel dataset of historical flood events will also be developed through the integration of documentary and observational sources.
REMEDH-EIP adopts an innovative and integrated framework, combining Machine Learning and Optical Character Recognition (ML/OCR) with large-scale Citizen Science engagement. ML/OCR will enable the automated extraction, structuring, and preliminary quality control of large volumes of data, while citizen participation will support validation, refinement, and the digitization of materials less suitable for ML/OCR. This iterative interaction represents a significant advancement over traditional sequential digitization approaches.
New digitized data will be integrated with existing datasets and homogenized to produce reliable long-term time series, enabling key applications such as improved high-resolution climate grids, reconstruction of extreme events, discharge series, and hydrological modelling of long-term runoff.
The originality of REMEDH-EIP also lies in the scientific impact of the recovered data. Their integration with recent initiatives (e.g., ANNHYDRO, SIREN) will extend Italian climate reconstructions by about 80 years, strengthening analyses of long-term variability and extremes. The project is carried out by six Research Units, ensuring complementary and multidisciplinary expertise and national coverage. Alongside scientific dissemination, REMEDH-EIP will promote public engagement through targeted activities involving schools and citizens. Overall, it will establish scalable workflows for sustained digitization beyond the project duration, consolidating a strategic research field with strong future development potential.