A Heritage Science Workflow to Preserve and Narrate a Rural Archeological Landscape Using Virtual Reality: The Cerro del Castillo of Belmez and Its Surrounding Environment (Cordoba, Spain)

Architectural Survey, Diagnostic, and Constructive Analysis Strategies for Monumental Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Management of Tourism

Heritage is under constant pressure to be adapted for tourism. The aim of this research was to improve the performance of both the tourism sector and the cultural heritage sector in a balanced and sustainable way, by considering the principles of conservation and preservation. Non-invasive tools such as ground penetrating radar (GPR), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and even virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have been used to develop new methodologies, allowing us to generate new experiences and heritage tourist attractions, which not only do not generate negative impacts on the monuments themselves, but also promote their preservation without diminishing the cultural and tourist offers of the city. A case study was carried out on Mérida, a UNESCO World Heritage City, where tourism is a strong economic engine of the city. The results obtained are two-fold: on one hand, an effective interdisciplinary working methodology for heritage management was developed, and on the other hand, new approaches for the sustainable development of cultural tourism were generated.

Achieving Universal Accessibility through Remote Virtualization and Digitization of Complex Archaeological Features: A Graphic and Constructive Study of the Columbarios of Merida

Currently, there are heritage assets that have been extensively studied and documented, but sometimes this information is not fully accessible to users. The aim of this research was to establish protocols and methodologies to promote collaborative work between the disciplines of architecture, restoration, and archaeology, through the results offered by Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools, and to use them for Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM). The methodology applied employed data collection with fast and low-cost tools (UAV) to subsequently generate a photogrammetric survey to serves as the basis for three-dimensional modelling. In this parametric model we implement all the information obtained by professionals from different disciplines, which also serves as a means to publicise and disseminate the heritage asset. The case study was the archaeological site of Columbarios, located in Mérida, a UNESCO World Heritage City. We obtained an effective interdisciplinary work methodology for heritage management under a collaborative BIM environment. The study has allowed us to make the archaeological remains available to visit from anywhere in the world through Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology.

A Technical and Operational Perspective on Quality Analysis of Stitching Images with Multi-Row Panorama and Multimedia Sources for Visualizing the Tourism Site of Onshore Wind Farm

A virtual tour of the onshore wind farm near Gaomei Wetland, Taichung City, Taiwan, was produced by producing panoramic images of the site by stitching images captured with a full-frame digital single-lens reflex camera and a multi-row panorama instrument, which automatically and precisely divided each scene into several images. Subsequently, the image stitching quality was improved by calculating the root mean square error (RMSE) of tie point matching and adjusting the tie points. Errors due to eccentricity attributed to the camera’s relative position to the rotational axis of the multi-row panorama instrument were examined and solved; the effect of the overlap rate on image stitching quality was also investigated. According to the study results, the overlap rate between the original images was inversely proportional to the RMSE and directly proportional to the time required for photography and image processing. The stitching quality was improved by resolving eccentricity and by increasing the number of tie points. The RMSEs of the panoramas of all stations were all less than 5 pixels. Subsequently, multimedia materials providing information on wind turbine attributes were combined with the panorama platform to establish a virtual reality tour platform. The content of the platform could be accessed with a smartphone and viewed with a virtual reality device and could promote both tourist attractions and wind energy.

Experience Gained When Using the Yuneec E10T Thermal Camera in Environmental Research

Thermal imaging is an important source of information for geographic information systems (GIS) in various aspects of environmental research. This work contains a variety of experiences related to the use of the Yuneec E10T thermal imaging camera with a 320 × 240 pixel matrix and 4.3 mm focal length dedicated to working with the Yuneec H520 UAV in obtaining data on the natural environment. Unfortunately, as a commercial product, the camera is available without radiometric characteristics. Using the heated bed of the Omni3d Factory 1.0 printer, radiometric calibration was performed in the range of 18–100 °C (high sensitivity range–high gain settings of the camera). The stability of the thermal camera operation was assessed using several sets of a large number of photos, acquired over three areas in the form of aerial blocks composed of parallel rows with a specific sidelap and longitudinal coverage. For these image sets, statistical parameters of thermal images such as the mean, minimum and maximum were calculated and then analyzed according to the order of registration. Analysis of photos taken every 10 m in vertical profiles up to 120 m above ground level (AGL) were also performed to show the changes in image temperature established within the reference surface. Using the established radiometric calibration, it was found that the camera maintains linearity between the observed temperature and the measured brightness temperature in the form of a digital number (DN). It was also found that the camera is sometimes unstable after being turned on, which indicates the necessity of adjusting the device’s operating conditions to external conditions for several minutes or taking photos over an area larger than the region of interest.

3D Modelling of Archaeoseismic Damage in the Roman Site of Baelo Claudia (Gibraltar Arc, South Spain)

This study deals with the morphometric characterization and quantification of earthquake damage in the ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia in South Spain (Gibraltar Arc) by means of the use of 3D modelling from drone imagery. Baelo Claudia is a world-renowned archaeological site recording recurrent earthquake destruction during the first and third centuries AD. The first earthquake destroyed the lower littoral zone of the city, allowing its reconstruction from the year c. 60–70 CE, but the second earthquake in 365–390 CE led to the complete destruction of the renewed city and its eventual abandonment. This second earthquake imprinted important deformations in the main monumental zone of the city, including the basilica temples, macellum, city walls, aqueducts and funerary monuments, as well as in the main paved zones of the city. This is the case for the Forum, Decumanus and Cardos, which show a variety of folds, pop-up structures, conjugate fractures and impact marks susceptible to be measured in a 3D format. The current study presents detailed (up to 3 mm/pixel) surface models of iconic monuments within the city. The 3D models were obtained by means of serial orthophotos taken with a UAV Mavic Pro 2 (DJI) Drone device equipped with a 20 mpx camera and a 1” CMOS sensor. Each individual image was captured in a geo-referenced jpg format and processed with the Agisoft Metashape Professional software®. Depending on the measured monument, the final images consisted of 250 to 700 photographs clustered by 50,000 to 150,000 tie points. In all studied items (Decumanus, city walls and bath dish), we follow the same workflow of analysis: (1) alignment of photos with support points; (2) building a dense cloud of points; (3) creation of the surface texture; (4) creation of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM); (5) creation of the orthomosaic; and finally, (6) the building of the high-quality 3D tiled surface models. The obtained models allow the geometric quantification of earthquake deformations (displacements, amplitudes, orientation, etc.) in a GIS-based 3D environment suitable to quantify oriented damage of seismic origin. In a complementary way, these 3D models deserve to be considered for their potential role as digital seismoscopes of ancient archaeological sites and/or heritage buildings.

Roman Fortress Pitiunt: 3D-Reconstruction of the Monument Based on the Materials of Archaeological Research and Geological Paleoreconstructions

The present study examined the references in the works of ancient authors to the ancient city and the Roman fortress Pitiunt, the geological aspects of the formation of the coastline in the Pitsunda Cape area in the first centuries AD and the results of archaeological research of the monument performed from 1952 to 1974. The creation of the 3D reconstruction of the exterior of the Pitiunt fortress during its prosperity in the IV century AD, along with the churches which were the first monuments of religious architecture in northwestern Colchis (northwestern Colchis comprises parts of the territory of modern Russia, Georgia and Abkhazia) was carried out based on the excavation plans and the principles of fortification and temple architecture that were accepted in the late Roman times, paying special attention to the geological paleoreconstructions.

Protocol Development for Point Clouds, Triangulated Meshes and Parametric Model Acquisition and Integration in an HBIM Workflow for Change Control and Management in a UNESCO's World Heritage Site

This article illustrates a data acquisition methodological process based on Structure from Motion (SfM) processing confronted with terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and integrated into a Historic Building Information Model (HBIM) for architectural Heritage's management. This process was developed for the documentation of Cáceres' Almohad wall bordering areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The case study's aim was the analysis, management and control of a large urban area where the urban growth had absorbed the wall, making it physically inaccessible. The methodology applied was the combination of: clouds and meshes obtained by SfM; with images acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Single Lens Reflex (SLR) and terrestrial photogrammetry; and finally, with clouds obtained by TLS. The outcome was a smart-high-quality three-dimensional study model of the inaccessible urban area. The final result was two-fold. On one side, there was a methodological result, a low cost and accurate smart work procedure to obtain a three-dimensional parametric HBIM model that integrates models obtained by remote sensing. On the other side, a patrimonial result involved the discovery of a XII century wall's section, that had supposedly been lost, that was hidden among the residential buildings. The article covers the survey campaign carried out by the research team and the techniques applied.