A State-of-the-Art Review and Bibliometric Analysis on the Smart Preservation of Heritages

Abstract

The preservation of heritage buildings is a crucial endeavour for countries worldwide. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the latest trends in smart applications for heritage building preservation within the context of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, covering the period of 2020–2024. A total of 216 peer-reviewed journal articles obtained from the Scopus database were subjected to analysis using RStudio and VOSviewer. The methodology was based on a dual analysis, including surface-level examination and in-depth exploration. Consequently, a new conceptual framework is presented for achieving smart preservation of heritages. It is structured based on two pillars: the physical methods pillar, including smart devices and smart processes, and the digital methods pillar, involving smart technologies and environments. Also, the results revealed that the dominant portion of literature publications (61%) emphasize specific topics such as interoperability, monitoring, data management, and documentation. However, training and community engagement represent an insufficient fraction (2–6%), and more research is needed in the future. This paper concludes by discussing a future innovative vision for policy and industry through urging policymakers to promote interoperability standards; address data security; and fund innovative, low-cost technologies, as well as advocating the industry sectors for public engagement, sustainable preservation, and prioritizing skill development programs and workforce.