PHOENIX-UASL

➤ Last update

February 2026.

During the first six months, the project consolidated its methodological, technical, and organizational foundations while advancing research production, reporting, teaching, and dissemination activities.

Close coordination with the supervisor and continuous exchange with the excavation team supported the initial archaeological fieldwork at Doña Blanca, including excavation, geophysical surveys, and drone-based photogrammetric mapping of the northern fortifications. Although adverse weather conditions in January and February 2026 prevented the planned UAV–LiDAR flights at Castillo de Doña Blanca, activities were strategically redirected toward data processing, GIS development, and scientific writing.

A major achievement was the creation of a comprehensive GIS framework integrating excavation data, legacy cartography, orthophotos, digital elevation models, and geophysical datasets. This spatial infrastructure now constitutes the analytical backbone of the PHOENIX-UASL project and is ready for future UAV–LiDAR integration.

Scientific dissemination progressed significantly. Two abstracts were submitted to the 11th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies (Malta), and a full paper on LiDAR-based funerary landscape analysis was submitted to the XXI Congreso de la Asociación Española de Teledetección in Cáceres. Professional development included participation in the workshop “Far from the city: fortifications and organisational models on the margins of traditional historiography” at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome in Rome.

The MSCA deliverables D.1.1 (Data Management Plan) and D.1.2 (Career Development Plan) were successfully prepared and submitted, strengthening the project’s data governance and strategic career planning framework. Teaching activities within the Máster de Patrimonio, Arqueología e Historia Marítima further contributed to knowledge transfer.

Overall, despite temporary fieldwork constraints, the project has achieved solid progress in methodological structuring, scientific production, reporting compliance, and international visibility, establishing a strong basis for the forthcoming UAV–LiDAR acquisition phase.

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➤ Activities of the months

In synthesis:

Month 6 (February 2026)

✓ Project reporting and management. Preparation and submission of the official MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship continuous reporting deliverables:

• D.1.1 – Data Management Plan (DMP): structured definition of data collection protocols, metadata standards, storage solutions, FAIR principles compliance, long-term preservation strategy, and ethical/legal considerations related to spatial, geophysical, and LiDAR datasets.

• D.1.2 – Career Development Plan (CDP): detailed planning of scientific objectives, advanced technical training (UAS–LiDAR integration, GIS-based landscape analysis), dissemination strategy, networking, teaching activities, and long-term career positioning within European research frameworks.

✓ Scientific publications and conference submissions. Preparation and submission of the paper: “Análisis LiDAR del PNOA para la interpretación topográfica del paisaje funerario en el yacimiento del ‘Castillo de Doña Blanca’ (Cádiz, España)”, Pablo Sicre-González, Antonio Pecci, Ana María Niveau-de-Villedary y Mariñas, submitted to the XXI Congreso de la Asociación Española de Teledetección, to be held in Cáceres (8–11 June 2026), under the thematic session: Teledetección multidisciplinar: Miradas Diversas, Soluciones Comunes.

✓ Workshops and professional development. Participation in the international workshop: “Far from the city: fortifications and organisational models on the margins of traditional historiography”, hosted by the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR), Rome, Via Omero 10–12, Friday 20 February 2026 (10:30 AM).

✓ Teaching activities. Lectures delivered within the Máster de Patrimonio, Arqueología e Historia Marítima (Curso 2025–2026), Módulo Específico: Arqueología en la región geo-histórica del Estrecho de Gibraltar, Asignatura: La Interdisciplinariedad en Arqueología (A2), Coordinación: Prof. Dr. Juan Jesús Cantillo Duarte. Titles of the lectures:

• “La Arqueología científica. Los estudios interdisciplinares una perspectiva histórica”

• “La interdisciplinariedad en los estudios de sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras paleolíticas”

✓ Innovation and networking. Participation in the InnoNext Info Session 2026 (online, 18 February 2026), dedicated to European innovation ecosystems and intersectoral mobility opportunities.

#Fieldwork constraints. Due to persistent adverse weather conditions affecting the whole of Andalusia throughout the month, it was not possible to conduct the scheduled UAV–LiDAR flight operations at the archaeological site of Castillo de Doña Blanca. Activities were therefore redirected toward data processing, analytical work, and reporting tasks.

 

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Month 5 (January 2026)

✓ Research activities – GIS and spatial analysis. Development of the complete GIS project for the archaeological site of Castillo de Doña Blanca using QGIS, including:

• Integration of archaeological excavation plans, legacy cartography, orthophotos, and high-resolution DEMs

• Processing and interpretation of aerial imagery and geophysical datasets

• Spatial correlation between architectural structures, fortification systems, and surrounding landscape features

• Preparation of analytical layers for future UAV–LiDAR data integration

✓ Scientific dissemination and conference submissions. Preparation and submission of two abstracts for the 11th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, to be held in Malta:

• “The project «PHOENIX-UASL. Research on PHOENIcian-punic sites in Andalusia with eXperimental Unmanned Aerial System with Lidar»: preliminary results”, Antonio Pecci.

• “Aplicación de tecnologías no invasivas en el yacimiento ‘Castillo de Doña Blanca’ (El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, España)”, Pablo Sicre González, Antonio Pecci, Lázaro Gabriel Lagóstena Barrios, Jesús Ignacio Jiménez Chaparro, Isabel Mª Rondán Sevilla, Ana María Niveau de Villedary y Mariñas.

#Fieldwork constraints. Due to persistent adverse weather conditions affecting the whole of Andalusia throughout the month, it was not possible to conduct the scheduled UAV–LiDAR flight operations at the archaeological site of Castillo de Doña Blanca. Activities were therefore redirected toward data processing, analytical work, and reporting tasks.

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Month 4 (December 2025)

✓ Language skills

• Spanish course at the UCA Language Center (B1 level) — final exam successfully passed

✓ Project planning and coordination

• Planning and management of activities together with the supervisor

• Continuous communication and bidirectional exchange of ideas, methodologies, and techniques with the excavation team and research mission

✓ Research activities

• Bibliographic research

✓ Meetings and coordination with drone services

• Coordination with the Servicio de Drones at the University of Cádiz (UCA) for planning and scheduling flight activities

✓ Web and digital skills

• Learning WordPress for website development

• Creation of the project webpage Phoenix UASL (https://hum509.uca.es/phoenix-uasl/)

• Creation of project social media pages on Instagram, X, and Facebook

✓ Dissemination activities

• Radio interview at Canal SUR Radio, “Andalucia ahora”, 12-12-2025

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Month 3 (November 2025)

✓ Meeting and coordination with drone services

• Meeting with the Servicio de Drones at the University of Cádiz (UCA) for planning and programming flight activities

✓ Workshops and professional development

• Participation in the International Workshop “United by the Atlantic: Identifying Synergies for the Study of Archaeological Heritage” (University of Cádiz, 28 November 2025), with an oral contribution entitled:
  “PHOENIX-UASL: Research on Phoenician–Punic Sites in Andalusia Using an Experimental Unmanned Aerial System with LiDAR” (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01). Presented by Antonio Pecci (UCA – HUM-509).

✓ Language skills

• Spanish course at the UCA Language Center (B1 level)

✓ Web and digital skills

• Learning WordPress for website creation

• Creation of the project web page: Phoenix UASL (https://hum509.uca.es/phoenix-uasl/)

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Month 2 (October 2025)

✓ Language skills

• Spanish course at the UCA Language Center (B1 level)

✓ Project planning and coordination

✓ Fieldwork at Doña Blanca site

• Archaeological excavation at Doña Blanca

• Geophysical surveys at the site

• Drone flight for photogrammetric mapping of the excavation area corresponding to the northern walls of Doña Blanca

• On Càdiz and on , several days of discussion and exchange on Phoenician fortification theory and practice with one of the leading experts in the field, David Montanero Vico (Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica)

✓ Dissemination and outreach activities

• Participation in the GEOFISIC‑ARQ conference (28–29 October 2025) (link)

• Interview with journalist for newspaper article published on 14 October 2025: La Voz del Sur article on use of drones in archaeology (link)

✓ Research activities

• Bibliographic research conducted in a short period in Italy

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Month 1 (September 2025)

✓ Administrative and university preliminaries procedures

• Personal administrative tasks: residence registration, NIE, health card, etc.

• University procedures: enrollment in university services, incorporation into faculty, access badges at UCA, lesson planning, etc.

✓ Language skills

• Spanish course at the UCA Language Center (B1 level)

✓ Project planning and coordination

• Planning and management of activities with the supervisor

• Preliminary discussions with members of the Phoenix Mediterranea team and initial meeting with the team before the start of the Doña Blanca archaeological excavation

• Continuous communication and exchange of ideas, methodologies, and techniques with the excavation team and mission in a bidirectional manner

✓ Fieldwork at Doña Blanca site

• Archaeological excavation at Doña Blanca

• Geophysical surveys at the site

• Drone flight for photogrammetric mapping of the excavation area corresponding to the northern walls of Doña Blanca

✓ Preliminary project reports

✓ Research activities

• Attendance of the online course “Prompt e Tool: orientarsi nelle IA” (16 hours), focused on AI tools and prompt strategies for research, organized by UCAL – Universitari Cattolici Ateneo Lucano and Basilicata Creativa

✓ Dissemination and outreach activities

• Preparation and implementation of dissemination via social media and newspapers, including participation in:

  • La Noche Europea de los Investigadores: “Mi museo fenicio: pon a prueba tu memoria” (link)

  • La Noche Europea de los Investigadores: “Museo objetivo Gadir: construye tu colección fenicia” (link)

  • La Noche Europea de los Investigadores: “El banquete de los dioses: cata gastronómica de época” (link)

  • La Noche Europea de los Investigadores: “Pequeños artesanos del tiempo: construyendo juguetes fenicios” (link)

  • La Noche Europea de los Investigadores: “Doña Blanca Presente/Futuro: jornadas de puertas abiertas” (link)

Researcher profile in La Noche Europea de los Investigadores (link)