Security and safety management and role of laser scanning in unique and peculiar cultural heritage sites such as the Papal Basilica and the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi in Italy

Peculiar, unique and complex cultural heritage sites, such as the Papal Basilica and the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi in Italy, need a great effort to ensure visitors security and safety, cultural heritage preservation and protection and great usability for visitors with particular reference to visitors with disabilities and for all the people and personnel normally present for the site management. This goal can be reached using integrated systems and new technologies, such as Internet of Everything (IoE), which allows to connect people, things (mobile terminals, smart sensors, devices, actuators, wearable devices, etc.), data/information/knowledge and processes to reach the desired purposes. The IoE system must be able to implement and support an integrated multidisciplinary model for security and safety management (IMMSSM) for the specific context, using a multidisciplinary approach. Because of the plenty of data and information necessary to produce a proper IMMSSM which allows the consequent design and realization of the related IoE system, it is necessary to have detailed and accurate information about the architectural aspects of this wide, complex and peculiar site that only a proper laser scanning activity allows. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the methodology and the results obtained from the just started laser scanning activity that allowed to obtain precious architectural information useful not only from the cultural heritage point of view but also for more operative and powerful tools, such as building information modelling, where all the information can be transferred later.