Short note on the mapping of heritage sites impacted by the 2024 floods in Valencia, Spain

TL;DR

This paper provides a preliminary assessment of flood impacts on cultural heritage sites in Valencia, Spain, using open data sources to estimate potential damage and highlight the need for detailed future evaluations.

Contribution

It introduces a methodology for rapid impact estimation of floods on heritage sites using publicly available geospatial data and highlights the limitations of crowd-sourced data for detailed damage assessment.

Findings

3.3% of heritage sites potentially impacted

OpenStreetMap data useful for estimates, not detailed damage

Most affected sites are churches, shrines, and irrigation features

Abstract

This short note presents preliminary findings on the impact of the October 2024 floods on cultural heritage sites in Valencia, Spain. Using publicly available data, we assess the extent of potential damage by overlaying flood maps with heritage site coordinates. We identify that 3.3% of heritage sites in the region have been potentially impacted, with churches and shrines (81), outdoor religious iconography (78), and historic irrigation features (45) being the most heavily affected. Our analysis utilizes data from OpenStreetMap and listings from the Generalitat Valenciana, suggesting that while OpenStreetMap's crowd-sourced data can provide useful estimates of the proportion of impacted sites, it may not be suitable for a detailed damage assessment. By sharing this data openly, we aim to contribute to international efforts in preserving cultural heritage after the disaster and provide a foundation for future assessments of heritage site vulnerability to climate-related events.