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Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation

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A special issue of ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (ISSN 2220-9964).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2021) | Viewed by 49812

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Prof. Dr. Andreas Georgopoulos

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Photogrammetry, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Interests: photogrammetry; cultural heritage; monitoring camera calibration; digital orthophotography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

Cultural Heritage and Humanities in general have always cautiously exploited technological advances. In the last 10 or 15 years, the rapid progress of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has provided numerous tools which have enabled us to change traditional Cultural Heritage practice. Satellite, aerial, and terrestrial digital sensors give the opportunity to archaeologists and conservation experts to completely change their everyday practice. This has happened in all stages, from archaeological research to documenting archaeological excavations and managing monuments and artefacts.

Archaeological prospection, LiDAR point cloud processing, aerial imagery, and satellite remote sensing assist in locating, observing, and mapping Cultural Heritage sites at small scales. On the other hand, aerial UAV photography from low altitudes, terrestrial imagery, and laser scanning supported by classical surveying techniques enable mapping of Cultural Heritage at large scales. In this Special Issue, papers highlighting innovations and interesting implementations of contemporary technologies on the above broad areas are welcome. In this effort, we would like to promote internationality, capacity building, interdisciplinarity, innovative methods, and interesting applications on Cultural Heritage assets, be they tangible or intangible, large or small.

Innovations may concern areas such as 3D reconstructions, virtual reality, digital documentation of archaeological excavations, archaeological prospections, cultural heritage management systems, and digital data processing.

Prof. Andreas Georgopoulos
Guest Editor

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Keywords

ICT
digital sensors
archaeological prospection
non-destructive techniques
image-based modeling
3D laser scanning
3D models
CH management

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2367 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Scenic Railway Mapping: An Analysis of Spatial Patterns in France Based on Historical GIS

by Guiye Lin, Luoning Xiang and Kun Sang

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(2), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11020099 - 31 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3653

Abstract

Scenic railway refers to the trains that operate for tourism purposes, which are mainly maintained for facilitating leisure activities, scenic tours, and heritage experiences. As both an extension of railway heritage and an important redevelopment method, this concept is meaningful for the touristic development of historical railways but has received less attention in academia. To understand the tourism and landscape values of scenic railways from a geo-historical perspective and discuss the recent techniques and methods for railway tourism, this article first introduces the relationship between railway and landscape and the concept of scenic railway in French literature. Secondly, it analyzes the current distribution of French scenic railways based on geographic information system (GIS) tools. Through georeferencing, mapping, data relating and joining, calculating, and classifying, different groups of scenic railways are systemized and published online. Following statistical treatment, the pattern of distribution of scenic railways in comparison with the standard-gauge railway system in France is revealed. Based on the discussions on scenic railways, further study should focus more on the landscape evaluation of scenic railways and its integration with other spatial technologies for deeper geo-analysis. Moreover, the research results can serve as a reference for the development of relative railway heritage and tourist activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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16 pages, 40476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Territorial Laser Scanning in 3D Modeling of Traditional Village: A Case Study of Fenghuang Village in China

by Guiye Lin, Andrea Giordano, Kun Sang, Luigi Stendardo and Xiaochun Yang

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(11), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10110770 - 12 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3518

Abstract

Historical villages bear historical, cultural, architectural, aesthetic, and landscape values, but they are facing a series of dangers and problems during the process of urbanization. Digital survey for traditional villages plays a crucial role in the preservation, planning, and development of this kind of heritage. The introduction of the terrestrial laser scanning technique is essential for heritage surveying, mapping, and modeling due to its advantages of noncontact measurement, accurate sensing of complex objects, and efficient operation. In recent years, TLS and related processing software (“SCENE”) have been widely presented as effective techniques for dealing with the management and protection of historical buildings in Fenghuang village. Thus, this paper highlights the process of using laser scanning to obtain architectural data, process point clouds, and compare the characteristics of historical buildings in Fenghuang village. The cloud-to-cloud registration technique is applied to build point clouds. As a result of model construction, some architectural patterns are summarized in this village, such as the spatial sequence of ancestral halls, the dominant position of memorial halls, and the character of building decorations and roof slopes. Furthermore, a BIM model is also explained to fulfill the statistical function for architectural components. In the future, more research can be fulfilled based on the built point cloud model, which will be beneficial for the development of the whole village. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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16 pages, 62919 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Safe Documentation of Historical Monuments by an Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

by Vít Krátký, Pavel Petráček, Tiago Nascimento, Michaela Čadilová, Milan Škobrtal, Pavel Stoudek and Martin Saska

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(11), 738; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10110738 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2467

Abstract

The use of robotic systems, especially multi-rotor aerial vehicles, in the documentation of historical buildings and cultural heritage monuments has become common in recent years. However, the teleoperated robotic systems have significant limitations encouraging the ongoing development of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The autonomous robotic platforms provide a more accurate and safe measurement in distant and difficult to access areas than their teleoperated counterpart. Through the use of autonomous aerial robotic systems, access to such places by humans and building of external infrastructures like scaffolding for documentation purposes is no longer necessary. In this work, we aim to present a novel autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle designed for the documentation of hardly attainable areas of historical buildings. The prototype of this robot was tested in several historical monuments comprising scanned objects located in dark and hardly accessible areas in the upper parts of tall naves. This manuscript presents the results from two specific places: the Church of St. Anne and St. Jacob the Great in Stará Voda, and St. Maurice Church in Olomouc, both in the Czech Republic. Finally, we also compare the three-dimensional map obtained with the measurements made by the 3D laser scanner carried onboard UAV against the ones performed by a 3D terrestrial laser scanner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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18 pages, 8816 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Post-Scan Point Cloud Colorization Method for Cultural Heritage Documentation

by Ting On Chan, Hang Xiao, Lixin Liu, Yeran Sun, Tingting Chen, Wei Lang and Ming Ho Li

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(11), 737; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10110737 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2505

Abstract

The 3D laser scanning technique is important for cultural heritage documentation. The laser itself normally does not carry any color information, so it usually requires an embedded camera system to colorize the point cloud. However, when the embedded camera system fails to perform properly under some external interferences, a post-scan colorization method is always desired to improve the point cloud visuality. This paper presents a simple but efficient point cloud colorization method based on a point-to-pixel orthogonal projection under an assumption that the orthogonal and perspective projections can produce similar effects for a planar feature as long as the target-to-camera distance is relatively short (within several meters). This assumption was verified by a simulation experiment, and the results show that only approximately 5% of colorization error was found at a target-to-camera distance of 3 m. The method was further verified with two real datasets collected for the cultural heritage documentation. The results showed that the visuality of the point clouds for two giant historical buildings had been greatly improved after applying the proposed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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18 pages, 7179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Web GIS-Based Integration of 3D Digital Models with Linked Open Data for Cultural Heritage Exploration

by Ikrom Nishanbaev, Erik Champion and David A. McMeekin

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(10), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10100684 - 11 Oct 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5330

Abstract

In recent years, considerable efforts have been made by cultural heritage institutions across the globe to digitise cultural heritage sites, artifacts, historical maps, etc. for digital preservation and online representation. On the other hand, ample research projects and studies have been published that demonstrate the great capabilities of web-geographic information systems (web-GIS) for the dissemination and online representation of cultural heritage data. However, cultural heritage data and the associated metadata produced by many cultural heritage institutions are heterogeneous. To make this heterogeneous data more interoperable and structured, an ever-growing number of cultural heritage institutions are adopting linked data principles. Although the cultural heritage domain has already started implementing linked open data concepts to the cultural heritage data, there are not many research articles that present an easy-to-implement, free, and open-source-based web-GIS architecture that integrates 3D digital cultural heritage models with cloud computing and linked open data. Furthermore, the integration of web-GIS technologies with 3D web-based visualisation and linked open data may offer new dimensions of interaction and exploration of digital cultural heritage. To demonstrate the high potential of integration of these technologies, this study presents a novel cloud architecture that attempts to enhance digital cultural heritage exploration by integrating 3D digital cultural heritage models with linked open data from DBpedia and GeoNames platforms using web-GIS technologies. More specifically, a digital interactive map, 3D digital cultural heritage models, and linked open data from DBpedia and GeoNames platforms were integrated into a cloud-based web-GIS architecture. Thus, the users of the architecture can easily interact with the digital map, visualise 3D digital cultural heritage models, and explore linked open data from GeoNames and DBpedia platforms, which offer additional information and context related to the selected cultural heritage site as well as external web resources. The architecture was validated by applying it to specific case studies of Australian cultural heritage and seeking expert feedback on the system, its benefits, and scope for improvement in the near future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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24 pages, 497886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ming and Qing Dynasty Official-Style Architecture Roof Types Classification Based on the 3D Point Cloud

by Youqiang Dong, Miaole Hou, Biao Xu, Yihao Li and Yuhang Ji

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(10), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10100650 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3953

Abstract

The Ming and Qing Dynasty type of official-style architecture roof can provide plenty of prior knowledge relating to the structure and size of these works of architecture, and plays an important role in the fields of 3D modeling, semantic recognition and culture inheriting. In this paper, we take the 3D point cloud as the data source, and an automatic classification method for the roof type of Ming and Qing Dynasty official-style architecture based on the hierarchical semantic network is illustrated. To classify the roofs into the correct categories, the characteristics of different roof types are analyzed and features including SoRs, DfFtR, DoPP and NoREs are first selected; subsequently, the corresponding feature extraction methods are proposed; thirdly, aiming at the structure of the ridges, a matching graph relying on the attributed relational graph of the ridges is given; based on the former work, a hierarchical semantic network is proposed and the thresholds are determined with the help of the construction rules of the Ming and Qing Dynasty official-style architecture. In order to fully verify the efficiency of our proposed method, various types of Ming and Qing Dynasty official-style architecture roof are identified, and the experimental results show that all structures are classified correctly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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18 pages, 12369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Edge Detection in 3D Point Clouds Using Digital Images

by Maria Melina Dolapsaki and Andreas Georgopoulos

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(4), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10040229 - 6 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6699

Abstract

This paper presents an effective and semi-automated method for detecting 3D edges in 3D point clouds with the help of high-resolution digital images. The effort aims to contribute towards addressing the unsolved problem of automated production of vector drawings from 3D point clouds of cultural heritage objects. Edges are the simplest primitives to detect in an unorganized point cloud and an algorithm was developed to perform this task. The provided edges are defined and measured on 2D digital images of known orientation, and the algorithm determines the plane defined by the edge on the image and its perspective center. This is accomplished by applying suitable transformations to the image coordinates of the edge points based on the Analytical Geometry relationships and properties of planes in 3D space. This plane inevitably contains the 3D points of the edge in the point cloud. The algorithm then detects and isolates those points which define the edge in the world system. Finally, the goal is to reliably locate the points that describe the desired edge in their true position in the geodetic space, using several constraints. The algorithm is firstly investigated theoretically for its efficiency using simulation data and then assessed under real conditions and under different image orientations and lengths of the edge on the image. The results are presented and evaluated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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24 pages, 13889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: Graphic Analysis of Interior Perspectives by Girault de Prangey around 1839

by Antonio Gámiz-Gordo, Juan Cantizani-Oliva and Juan Francisco Reinoso-Gordo

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(3), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10030181 - 19 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6991

Abstract

The work of Philibert Girault de Prangey, who was a draughtsman, pioneering photographer and an Islamic architecture scholar, has been the subject of recent exhibitions in his hometown (Langres, 2019), at the Metropolitan Museum (New York, 2019) and at the Musée d’Orsay (Paris, 2020). After visiting Andalusia between 1832 and 1833, Prangey completed the publication “Monuments arabes et moresques de Cordoue, Seville et Grenada” in 1839, based on his own drawings and measurements. For the first time, this research analyses his interior perspectives of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba (Spain). The novel methodology is based on its comparison with a digital model derived from the point cloud captured by a 3D laser scanner. After locating the different viewpoints, the geometric precision and the elaboration process are analysed, taking into account historic images by various authors, other details published by Prangey and the architectural transformations of the building. In this way, the veracity and documentary interest of some beautiful perspectives of a monument inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO is valued. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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21 pages, 5369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential of LiDAR and UAV-Photogrammetric Data Analysis to Interpret Archaeological Sites: A Case Study of Chun Castle in South-West England

by Israa Kadhim and Fanar M. Abed

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10010041 - 19 Jan 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6264

Abstract

With the increasing demands to use remote sensing approaches, such as aerial photography, satellite imagery, and LiDAR in archaeological applications, there is still a limited number of studies assessing the differences between remote sensing methods in extracting new archaeological finds. Therefore, this work aims to critically compare two types of fine-scale remotely sensed data: LiDAR and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) derived Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry. To achieve this, aerial imagery and airborne LiDAR datasets of Chun Castle were acquired, processed, analyzed, and interpreted. Chun Castle is one of the most remarkable ancient sites in Cornwall County (Southwest England) that had not been surveyed and explored by non-destructive techniques. The work outlines the approaches that were applied to the remotely sensed data to reveal potential remains: Visualization methods (e.g., hillshade and slope raster images), ISODATA clustering, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms. The results display various archaeological remains within the study site that have been successfully identified. Applying multiple methods and algorithms have successfully improved our understanding of spatial attributes within the landscape. The outcomes demonstrate how raster derivable from inexpensive approaches can be used to identify archaeological remains and hidden monuments, which have the possibility to revolutionize archaeological understanding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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23 pages, 7055 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Efficient Probabilistic Registration Based on Shape Descriptor for Heritage Field Inspection

by Yufu Zang, Bijun Li, Xiongwu Xiao, Jianfeng Zhu and Fancong Meng

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2020, 9(12), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9120759 - 19 Dec 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2854

Abstract

Heritage documentation is implemented by digitally recording historical artifacts for the conservation and protection of these cultural heritage objects. As efficient spatial data acquisition tools, laser scanners have been widely used to collect highly accurate three-dimensional (3D) point clouds without damaging the original structure and the environment. To ensure the integrity and quality of the collected data, field inspection (i.e., on-spot checking the data quality) should be carried out to determine the need for additional measurements (i.e., extra laser scanning for areas with quality issues such as data missing and quality degradation). To facilitate inspection of all collected point clouds, especially checking the quality issues in overlaps between adjacent scans, all scans should be registered together. Thus, a point cloud registration method that is able to register scans fast and robustly is required. To fulfill the aim, this study proposes an efficient probabilistic registration for free-form cultural heritage objects by integrating the proposed principal direction descriptor and curve constraints. We developed a novel shape descriptor based on a local frame of principal directions. Within the frame, its density and distance feature images were generated to describe the shape of the local surface. We then embedded the descriptor into a probabilistic framework to reject ambiguous matches. Spatial curves were integrated as constraints to delimit the solution space. Finally, a multi-view registration was used to refine the position and orientation of each scan for the field inspection. Comprehensive experiments show that the proposed method was able to perform well in terms of rotation error, translation error, robustness, and runtime and outperformed some commonly used approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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30 pages, 14649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Virtual Touring for the Puglia Regional Museum Directorate

by Antonella Lerario and Nicola Maiellaro

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2020, 9(12), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9120741 - 11 Dec 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3346

Abstract

The article describes the design process carried out to deliver a tool for the virtual fruition of the resources of the Puglia Regional Museum Directorate through multimedia content, within the frame of the Vi.S.T.A. (Virtual and Social heritage Touring Application) project. Identifying the virtual tour as the most suitable technology to achieve the promotion and exploitation needs of the Directorate’s museums, the project envisages the realization of an integrated system, conceived as a dedicated IT platform including a specific virtual touring section, for a selected pilot case. The article focuses on the design study for the virtual tour interface and the selection of the most appropriate functions for it, and describes the collaborative approach adopted. After the description of the project objectives and context, the design study and the related methodology are presented. Then, the results of the design activity are presented and discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Mapping and Observation)

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