Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2019) 134: 74
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2019-12441-5

Regular Article

A decision support system for preventive conservation: From measurements towards decision making

¹ Conservation Studies, University of Antwerp, Blindestraat 9, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium
² Antwerp Maritime Academy, Noordkasteel Oost 6, B-2030, Antwerp, Belgium
³ Department of Physics, CEADEN, 502, Calle 30, 11300, Havana, Cuba
⁴ War Heritage Institute, Renaissancelaan 30, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium
⁵ Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Middelheimlaan 1, B-2020, Antwerp, Belgium
⁶ Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Museumstraat 9, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium

^* e-mail: olivier.schalm@uantwerpen.be

Received: 7 August 2018
Accepted: 30 November 2018
Published online: 21 February 2019

Abstract

We present a decision-support system that guides heritage guardians in selecting mitigation actions to improve the indoor air quality and thus the preservation conditions of indoor collections in heritage buildings. This contribution shows that it is feasible to build a decision support system dedicated to preventive conservation when the following barriers are overcome: 1) simultaneous measurement of a wide range of environmental parameters in order to detect a larger number of undesired situations; 2) development of an algorithm to perform reproducible indoor air quality assessments; and 3) transformation of the air quality assessment into a graph that can be read intuitively without causing a wide variation of interpretations among stakeholders. An important aspect of the decision support system is that it reduces several sources of uncertainty that hamper reliable indoor air quality assessments. The possibilities of such a system are illustrated with a measurement campaign in a church where a heating system has been installed and used for the first time.