Abstract
Obtaining high-resolution spatial data to monitor post-fire impacts in environmentally and historically sensitive areas is essential for both heritage conservation and environmental assessment. The “Las Médulas Post-Fire lidar dataset” was acquired in September and November 2025, immediately after the wildfire that affected this UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape in northwestern Spain. Las Médulas, the largest Roman gold-mining complex in the ancient world, is characterized by extensive hydraulic infrastructures and a distinctive geomorphology shaped by the ruina montium technique. The dataset includes UAV-based lidar point clouds and derived topographic products such as Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and RGB orthomosaics, suitable for 3D reconstruction of the archaeological and natural landscape. These products document post-fire terrain conditions, vegetation loss and erosional patterns, while preserving fine-scale mining landforms. All files are openly accessible in a structured repository, providing a reproducible resource for research on cultural heritage management, ecological recovery, geomorphology and risk assessment in Mediterranean mountain environments.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Fundación Las Médulas for granting access and logistical support to conduct this work within the protected BIC area. This study represents a contribution to the CSIC Scientific-Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Crises (GADE-CSIC, Spain).
Funding
This research was funded by the CSIC Scientific-Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Crises (GADE-CSIC, Spain) and partially by PIE202430E238. ICMAN sensors and UAVs were funded by Spanish Government Infrastructure Project EQC2018–004275-P and SCT-OPECAM (825909). IGME sensors and UAVs were partially funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE in CPP2023-010560 HELICE project. A. Román, staff hired under the Generation D initiative, promoted by Red.es, an organisation attached to the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, for the attraction and retention of talent through grants and training contracts, financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan through the European Union’s Next Generation funds.
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Navarro, G., Davalillo, J.C.G., Pecharroman, J.L. et al. Post-fire lidar dataset and 3D reconstruction of Las Médulas World Heritage Cultural Landscape (NW Spain). Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07444-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07444-4
