Analysis of the Selection Impact of 2D Detectors on the Accuracy of Image-Based TLS Data Registration of Objects of Cultural Heritage and Interiors of Public Utilities

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

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.

A Novel Method for the Deblurring of Photogrammetric Images Using Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks

The visual data acquisition from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may encounter a situation in which blur appears on the images. Image blurring caused by camera motion during exposure significantly impacts the images interpretation quality and consequently the quality of photogrammetric products. On blurred images, it is difficult to visually locate ground control points, and the number of identified feature points decreases rapidly together with an increasing blur kernel. The nature of blur can be non-uniform, which makes it hard to forecast for traditional deblurring methods. Due to the above, the author of this publication concluded that the neural methods developed in recent years were able to eliminate blur on UAV images with an unpredictable or highly variable blur nature. In this research, a new, rapid method based on generative adversarial networks (GANs) was applied for deblurring. A data set for neural network training was developed based on real aerial images collected over the last few years. More than 20 full sets of photogrammetric products were developed, including point clouds, orthoimages and digital surface models. The sets were generated from both blurred and deblurred images using the presented method. The results presented in the publication show that the method for improving blurred photo quality significantly contributed to an improvement in the general quality of typical photogrammetric products. The geometric accuracy of the products generated from deblurred photos was maintained despite the rising blur kernel. The quality of textures and input photos was increased. This research proves that the developed method based on neural networks can be used for deblur, even in highly blurred images, and it significantly increases the final geometric quality of the photogrammetric products. In practical cases, it will be possible to implement an additional feature in the photogrammetric software, which will eliminate unwanted blur and allow one to use almost all blurred images in the modelling process.