More Than a Flight: The Extensive Contributions of UAV Flights to Archaeological Research – The Case Study of Curium Site in Cyprus

Themistocleous, Kyriacos; Αγαπίου, Άθως; King, Helen; King, Nigel; Hadjimitsis, Diofantos

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-13695-0_38

Cited by 30 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…and creates a "sparse cloud" of elevations based on these points. The completed alignment is then used to develop a dense point cloud which uses it to create a surface which allows draping of the imagery over the model by creating and building a texture from the original images and overlays the imagery onto the model mesh (Themistocleous et al, 2014). The software then builds a polygon mesh and calculates a texture for the mesh.…”

Section: Image Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A wide range of output formats (GeoTiff, xyz, Google KML, Wavefront OBJ, VRML, COLLADA, PDF) ensures easy import to any GIS system for future photogrammetric analysis (Themistocleous et al, 2014).…”

Section: Image Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…UAVs are being used for surveying cultural heritage sites due to their affordability, reliability and ease-ofuse (Themistocleous et al, 2015a;Themistocleous et al, 2015d, Lo Brutto et al, 2014Rinaudo et al, 2012). Recent developments in photogrammetry technology provide a simple and cost-effective method of generating relatively accurate 3D models from 2D images (Ioannides et al, 2013;Themistocleous et al, 2015a;Themistocleous et al, 2015b;Themistocleous et al, 2014;Themistocleous et al, 2015c). These techniques provide a set of new tools for cultural heritage experts to capture, store, process, share, visualize and annotate 3D models in the field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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3d Documentation and Bim Modeling of Cultural Heritage Structures Using Uavs: The Case of the Foinikaria Church

Themistocleous

Αγαπίου

Hadjimitsis

2016

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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ABSTRACT:The documentation of architectural cultural heritage sites has traditionally been expensive and labor-intensive. New innovative technologies, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), provide an affordable, reliable and straightforward method of capturing cultural heritage sites, thereby providing a more efficient and sustainable approach to documentation of cultural heritage structures. In this study, hundreds of images of the Panagia Chryseleousa church in Foinikaria, Cyprus were taken using a UAV with an attached high resolution camera. The images were processed to generate an accurate digital 3D model by using Structure in Motion techniques. Building Information Model (BIM) was then used to generate drawings of the church. The methodology described in the paper provides an accurate, simple and cost-effective method of documenting cultural heritage sites and generating digital 3D models using novel techniques and innovative methods.

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Section: Image Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Image Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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3d Documentation and Bim Modeling of Cultural Heritage Structures Using Uavs: The Case of the Foinikaria Church

Themistocleous

Αγαπίου

Hadjimitsis

2016

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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“…And more, the navigation control system is able to drive the aircraft following a pre-planned flight scheme (Rinaudo et al, 2012). Datasets derived can be used to generate accurate orthophotos, digital terrain models (DTMs) and can generate a variety of datasets that can be used to document and identify archaeological areas (Themistocleous et al, 2014). An accurate report of outputs and advantages for archaeology purposes can be found in (Nilsson, 2013).…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uav Surveying for a Complete Mapping and Documentation of Archaeological Findings. The Early Neolithic Site of Portonovo

Malinverni¹,

Barbaro²,

Pierdicca³

et al. 2016

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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ABSTRACT:The huge potential of 3D digital acquisition techniques for the documentation of archaeological sites, as well as the related findings, is almost well established. In spite of the variety of available techniques, a sole documentation pipeline cannot be defined a priori because of the diversity of archaeological settings. Stratigraphic archaeological excavations, for example, require a systematic, quick and low cost 3D single-surface documentation because the nature of stratigraphic archaeology compels providing documentary evidence of any excavation phase. Only within a destructive process each single excavation cannot be identified, documented and interpreted and this implies the necessity of a re-examination of the work on field. In this context, this paper describes the methodology, carried out during the last years, to 3D document the Early Neolithic site of Portonovo (Ancona, Italy) and, in particular, its latest step consisting in a photogrammetric aerial survey by means of UAV platform. It completes the previous research delivered in the same site by means of terrestrial laser scanning and close range techniques and sets out different options for further reflection in terms of site coverage, resolution and campaign cost. With the support of a topographic network and a unique reference system, the full documentation of the site is managed in order to detail each excavation phase; besides, the final output proves how the 3D digital methodology can be completely integrated with reasonable costs during the excavation and used to interpret the archaeological context. Further contribution of this work is the comparison between several acquisition techniques (i.e. terrestrial and aerial), which could be useful as decision support system for different archaeological scenarios. The main objectives of the comparison are: i) the evaluation of 3D mapping accuracy from different data sources, ii) the definition of a standard pipeline for different archaeological needs and iii) the provision of different level of detail according to the user needs.

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“…Bendea et al, 2007, Eisenbeiss and Zhang, 2006, Grün et al, 2012, Rinaudo et al, 2012, Fallavollitaa et al 2013, Themistocleous et al, 2014, Tscharf er al, 2015. Making accurate documentation for excavation sites has a key meaning for methodology of archaeological research.…”

Section: Introduction and Research Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Budget Uav Systems for the Prospection of Small- And Medium-Scale Archaeological Sites

Ostrowski

Hanus

2016

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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Commission I, ICWG I/VbKEY WORDS: Archaeology, Photogrammetry, UAV, UAS, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Platforms, Mission Planning, Mapping ABSTRACT:One of the popular uses of UAVs in photogrammetry is providing an archaeological documentation. A wide offer of low-cost (consumer) grade UAVs, as well as the popularity of user-friendly photogrammetric software allowing obtaining satisfying results, contribute to facilitating the process of preparing documentation for small archaeological sites. However, using solutions of this kind is much more problematic for larger areas. The limited possibilities of autonomous flight makes it significantly harder to obtain data for areas too large to be covered during a single mission. Moreover, sometimes the platforms used are not equipped with telemetry systems, which makes navigating and guaranteeing a similar quality of data during separate flights difficult. The simplest solution is using a better UAV, however the cost of devices of such type often exceeds the financial capabilities of archaeological expeditions.The aim of this article is to present methodology allowing obtaining data for medium scale areas using only a basic UAV. The proposed methodology assumes using a simple multirotor, not equipped with any flight planning system or telemetry. Navigating of the platform is based solely on live-view images sent from the camera attached to the UAV. The presented survey was carried out using a simple GoPro camera which, from the perspective of photogrammetric use, was not the optimal configuration due to the fish eye geometry of the camera. Another limitation is the actual operational range of UAVs which in the case of cheaper systems, rarely exceeds 1 kilometre and is in fact often much smaller. Therefore the surveyed area must be divided into sub-blocks which correspond to the range of the drone. It is inconvenient since the blocks must overlap, so that they will later be merged during their processing. This increases the length of required flights as well as the computing power necessary to process a greater number of images.These issues make prospection highly inconvenient, but not impossible. Our paper presents our experiences through two case studies: surveys conducted in Nepal under the aegis of UNESCO, and works carried out as a part of a Polish archaeological expedition in Cyprus, which both prove that the proposed methodology allows obtaining satisfying results. The article is an important voice in the ongoing debate between commercial and academic archaeologists who discuss the balance between the required standards of conducting archaeological works and economic capabilities of archaeological missions.

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More Than a Flight: The Extensive Contributions of UAV Flights to Archaeological Research – The Case Study of Curium Site in Cyprus

Cited by 30 publications

References 9 publications

3d Documentation and Bim Modeling of Cultural Heritage Structures Using Uavs: The Case of the Foinikaria Church

3d Documentation and Bim Modeling of Cultural Heritage Structures Using Uavs: The Case of the Foinikaria Church

Uav Surveying for a Complete Mapping and Documentation of Archaeological Findings. The Early Neolithic Site of Portonovo

Budget Uav Systems for the Prospection of Small- And Medium-Scale Archaeological Sites

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