Examples and Results of Aerial Photogrammetry in Archeology with UAV: Geometric Documentation, High Resolution Multispectral Analysis, Models and 3D Printing

Abstract

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones or RPA) in archaeology has expanded significantly over the last twenty years. Improvements in terms of the reliability, size, and manageability of these aircraft have been largely complemented by the high resolution and spectral bands provided by the sensors of the different cameras that can be incorporated into their structure. If we add to this the functionalities and improvements that photogrammetry programs have been experiencing in recent years, we can conclude that there has been a qualitative leap in the possibilities, not only of geometric documentation and in the presentation of the archaeological data, but in the incorporation of non-intrusive high-resolution analytics. The work that we present here gives a sample of the possibilities of both geometric documentation, creation of 3D models, their subsequent printing with different materials, and techniques to finally show a series of analytics from images with NGB (Nir + Green + Blue), Red Edge, and Thermographic cameras applied to various archaeological sites in which our team has been working since 2013, such as Clunia (Peñalba de Castro, Burgos), Puig Rom (Roses), Vilanera (L’Escala, Girona), and Cosa (Ansedonia, Italy). All of them correspond to different chronological periods as well as to varied geographical and morphological environments, which will lead us to propose the search for adequate solutions for each of the environments. In the discussions, we will propose the lines of research to be followed in a project of these characteristics, as well as some results that can already be viewed.

Generation of high quality 3D models of a monastery located in Western Greece

“…At the same time, some researchers focused on assessing geohazards and surface deformation at cultural heritage sites in order to develop effective conservation plans using UAV imagery 18,19 . However the majority of studies focuses on deriving 3D models of cultural monuments or building elements 20,21,22,23 . In particular, NGB (NIR + Green + Blue), Red Edge, and Thermographic cameras mounted on UAVs were utilized to create 3D models of numerous archaeological sites, which were subsequently 3D printed using different materials to obtain a small scale representation the monument 21 .…”

SR-DeblurUGAN: An End-to-End Super-Resolution and Deblurring Model with High Performance

“…In archaeology, the need to take measurements from multiple angles (aerial and ground) and to combine aerial measurements with reconstructed structures and complex soil morphology places high demands on the resolution of the acquired images [4]. As research continues, through improvements in photogrammetry and identification, different cameras are developed with sensors that can provide different high resolutions and complementary spectral bands [5]. In ecology, the establishment of protected areas can better protect ecological environments and historical artifacts, so the use of drones to assess the level of protected areas and to monitor and measure sensitive areas has an important position, and this work relies on high-resolution images [6].…”

Synergistic use of UAV and TLS data for precise rockfall monitoring over a hanging monastery

“…In order to document the cultural heritage site affected by geo-hazards, UAV images and laser scanning are used 33,34 . Cultural sites mapping with different materials, and techniques including images acquired from NGB (Nir + Green + Blue), Red Edge, and Thermographic cameras was presented 35 . Other researchers presented the survey campaign that they performed in order to solve all the operational difficulties of using UAVs in an urban environment, mainly because short distance shooting of nearly vertical surfaces was required for the Bergamo City Walls 36 .…”