Using Geographic Information Systems to Increment the Knowledge of Cultural Landscapes

To increment the knowledge of a cultural landscape, the use of Information and Communication Technologies is becoming fundamental. By means of these technologies we can improve the study of areas having ancient or modern cultural evidences, by superimposing data from some territorial information systems on satellite surveys. In particular, we will analyse Geographic Information Systems (GIS), freely available on the World Wide Web. A well-known example is Google Earth, which is offering the possibility of virtual tours to the users of the Web. Moreover, besides being of support for archaeological and other research studies, GIS can be helpful in creating some systems for the management of archaeological and cultural patrimony and for incrementing the revenues from tourism.