
Cite this as: Davidson, L., Corns, A., Pollard, E. and Shaw, R. 2026 FAIR and Open CHERISH: data and outputs from terrestrial laser scanning and uncrewed aerial vehicle digital photogrammetry surveys of coastal heritage sites in Ireland (Data Paper), Internet Archaeology 71. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.71.12
This data paper presents the CHERISH (Climate Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands) Project collection, deposited in the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI). The collection comprises terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) digital photogrammetry datasets, created to establish baseline 3D records of coastal archaeological sites and monuments threatened by climate change. Spanning five Irish study areas across counties Dublin, Wexford, Waterford and Kerry, the collection documents over 30 sites ranging from prehistoric remains to modern military structures. More than 20,000 digital objects drawn from 20 TLS and 34 UAV surveys have been published to date. All datasets are openly accessible, FAIR-compliant and assigned DOIs, with significant reuse potential for research, heritage management, education, public engagement and more. Beyond their original purpose of documenting heritage at risk, these datasets can be leveraged for a variety of applications, including 3D modelling, change detection analysis, virtual reality, and historic buildings information modelling (HBIM).
Corresponding author: Lesley Davidson
[email protected]
The Discovery Programme
Anthony Corns
The Discovery Programme
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