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

Data of history: An open-source and multiformat wall image dataset of Panam city, a historical place

Historical data on monuments offers valuable insights into that period's past sculpture, architecture, and preferences. Realising the importance of historical data and the scarcity of data on historical places, this study presents a dataset collected from Panam City. Panam City, established in the late 1300s century, was the capital of the fifteenth-century Bengal ruler Isa Khan. The city was once an important trading and political centre and is now considered a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Panam City is located in Sonargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The aim of data collection is to capture past architectural design, materials used for the building, and the current state of the walls and structures of Panam City. This dataset can benefit researchers, architects, archaeologists, and cultural organisations. Historians and architects can gain insights into the wall's construction methods and materials, informing future restoration efforts. Historic datasets can create exciting AR/VR experiences by digitizing and 3D modelling historical artefacts and environments, integrating them into AR/VR platforms using game engines and development tools, and enhancing the user experience with interactive storytelling and educational content. Tourism boards and cultural heritage organisations can leverage this resource to develop engaging experiences that highlight the rich history and significance of Panama City. By making this data accessible, this study contributes to understanding and appreciating Panam City's historical significance while promoting innovative approaches to heritage preservation in the digital age. This dataset contains 2292 images of degraded wall classes such as Artistic, Corroded Brick, Corroded Plaster, Fungus, and Living Plant.

Rapid Geometric Evaluation of Transportation Infrastructure Based on a Proposed Low-Cost Portable Mobile Laser Scanning System

Efficient geometric evaluation of roads and tunnels is crucial to traffic management, especially in post-disaster situations. This paper reports on a study of the geometric feature detection method based on multi-sensor mobile laser scanning (MLS) system data. A portable, low-cost system that can be mounted on vehicles and utilizes integrated laser scanning devices was developed. Coordinate systems and timestamps from numerous devices were merged to create 3D point clouds of objects being measured. Feature points reflecting the geometric information of measuring objects were retrieved based on changes in the point cloud's shape, which contributed to measuring the road width, vertical clearance, and tunnel cross section. Self-developed software was used to conduct the measuring procedure, and a real-time online visualized platform was designed to reconstruct 3D models of the measured objects, forming a 3D digital map carrying the obtained geometric information. Finally, a case study was carried out. The measurement results of several representative nodes are discussed here, verifying the robustness of the proposed system. In addition, the main sources of interference are also discussed.

Evaluation of Geometric Data Registration of Small Objects from Non-Invasive Techniques: Applicability to the HBIM Field

Reverse engineering and the creation of digital twins are advantageous for documenting, cataloging, and maintenance control tracking in the cultural heritage field. Digital copies of the objects into Building Information Models (BIM) add cultural interest to every artistic work. Low-cost 3D sensors, particularly structured-light scanners, have evolved towards multiple uses in the entertainment market but also as data acquisition and processing techniques for research purposes. Nowadays, with the development of structured-light data capture technologies, the geometry of objects can be recorded in high-resolution 3D datasets at a very low cost. On this basis, this research addresses a small artifact with geometric singularities that is representative of small museum objects. For this, the precision of two structured-light scanners is compared with that of the photogrammetric technique based on short-range image capture: a high-cost Artec Spider 3D scanner, and the low-cost Revopoint POP 3D scanner. Data capture accuracy is evaluated through a mathematical algorithm and point set segmentation to verify the spatial resolution. In addition, the precision of the 3D model is studied through a vector analysis in a BIM environment, an unprecedented analysis until now. The work evaluates the accuracy of the devices through algorithms and the study of point density at the submillimeter scale. Although the results of the 3D geometry may vary in a morphometric analysis depending on the device records, the results demonstrate similar accuracies in that submillimeter range. Photogrammetry achieved an accuracy of 0.70 mm versus the Artec Spider and 0.57 mm against the Revopoint POP 3D scanner.

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.

Utilization of 3D Digital Technologies in the Documentation of Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of the Kunerad Mansion (Slovakia)

Preservation of cultural heritage plays an important role in society, significantly contributing to its sustainability, which is important for human development and quality of life. The issue of cultural heritage digitization has recently been the subject of increasing research and is part of the initiatives of the European Commission for the Promotion of Cultural Heritage. Therefore, it is necessary to define the stages of the digitization process, which is crucial for cultural heritage preservation. The aim of this article was to examine currently used technologies and their role in the digitization workflow, and to present a detailed historical building information model (HBIM) developed during the digitization project at the historic Kunerad Mansion. To meet these goals, we will describe the best practices for each discussed technology. Special attention is paid to data processing at the very end of the object modeling process. Additionally, particular findings alert the reader to the need to create object element databases in terms of effective point cloud modeling and present the advantages of the technologies examined over traditional ways of preserving cultural heritage. In addition to predicting procedures, cooperation at a multidisciplinary level is needed in a narrower context. On the whole, the article provides some useful suggestions for both practitioners and stakeholders.

Modeling and Processing of Smart Point Clouds of Cultural Relics with Complex Geometries

The digital documentation of cultural relics plays an important role in archiving, protection, and management. In the field of cultural heritage, three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data is effective at expressing complex geometric structures and geometric details on the surface of cultural relics, but lacks semantic information. To elaborate the geometric information of cultural relics and add meaningful semantic information, we propose a modeling and processing method of smart point clouds of cultural relics with complex geometries. An information modeling framework for complex geometric cultural relics was designed based on the concept of smart point clouds, in which 3D point cloud data are organized through the time dimension and different spatial scales indicating different geometric details. The proposed model allows smart point clouds or a subset to be linked with semantic information or related documents. As such, this novel information modeling framework can be used to describe rich semantic information and high-level details of geometry. The proposed information model not only expresses the complex geometric structure of the cultural relics and the geometric details on the surface, but also has rich semantic information, and can even be associated with documents. A case study of the Dazu Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva Statue, which is characterized by a variety of complex geometries, reveals that our proposed framework is capable of modeling and processing the statue with excellent applicability and expansibility. This work provides insights into the sustainable development of cultural heritage protection globally.