Enhanced visualization of the flat landscape of the Cambridgeshire Fenlands

The Fenlands of East Anglia, England, represent a subtle landscape, where topographic highs rarely exceed 30 m above sea level. However, the fens represent an almost full sequence of Quaternary deposits which, together with islands of Cretaceous and Jurassic outcrops, make the area of geological importance. This feature discusses the advantages of using 3D visualization coupled with high-resolution topographical data, over traditional 2D techniques, when undertaking an analysis of the landscape. Conclusions suggest that the use of 3D visualization will result in a higher level of engagement, particularly when communicating geological information to a wider public

Innovative Approaches to 3D GIS Modeling for Volumetric and Geoprocessing Applications in Subsurface Infrastructures in a Virtual Immersive Environment

As subsurface features remain largely ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this has led to challenges when dealing with underground space and infrastructures and especially so for those working in GIS. Since subsurface infrastructure plays a major role in supporting the needs of modern society, groups such as city planners and utility companies and decision makers are looking for an ‘holistic’ approach where the sustainable use of underground space is as important as above ground space. For such planning and management, it is crucial to examine subsurface data in a form that is amenable to 3D mapping and that can be used for increasingly sophisticated 3D modeling. The subsurface referred to in this study focuses particularly on examples of both shallow and deep underground infrastructures. In the case of shallow underground infrastructures mostly two-dimensional maps are used in the management and planning of these features. Depth is a very critical component of underground infrastructures that is difficult to represent in a 2D map and for this reason these are best studied in three-dimensional space. In this research, the capability of 3D GIS technology and immersive geography are explored for the storage, management, analysis, and visualization of shallow and deep subsurface features

Integración de metodologías geomáticas y creación de una aplicación patrimonial usando realidad aumentada

[EN] 3D modelling of archaeological and historical structures is the new frontier in the field of conservation science. Similarly, the identification of buried finds, which enhances their multimedia diffusion and restoration, has gained relevance. As such sites often have a high level of structural complexity and complicated territorial geometries, accuracy in the creation of 3D models and the use of sophisticated algorithms for georadar data analysis are crucial. This research is the first step in a larger project aimed at reclaiming the ancient villages located in the Greek area of southern Italy. The present study focuses on the restoration of the village of Africo (RC), a village hit by past flooding. The survey began with a laser scan of the church of St. Nicholas, using both the Faro Focus3D and the Riegl LMS-Z420i laser scanner. At the same time, georadar analyses were carried out in order to pinpoint any buried objects. In the processing phase, our own MATLAB algorithms were used for both laser scanner and georadar datasets and the results compared with those obtained from the scanners’ respective proprietary software. We are working to develop a tourism app in both augmented and virtual reality environments, in order to disseminate and improve access to cultural heritage. The app allows users to see the 3D model and simultaneously access information on the site integrated from a variety of repositories. The aim is to create an immersive visit, in this case, to the church of St. Nicholas.Highlights:Use of different algorithms for registration of terrestrial laser scans and analysis of the data obtained.3D acquisition, processing and restitution methodology from georadar data.Implementation of a tourist app in both virtual and augmented reality by integrating geomatics methodologies.[ES] El modelado 3D de estructuras arqueológicas e históricas es el nuevo hito en el campo de la ciencia de la conservación. De manera similar, la identificación de hallazgos enterrados ha ganado relevancia, ya que mejora la difusión multimedia y la restauración. Como a menudo los sitios en estudio tienen un alto nivel de complejidad estructural y geometrías territoriales complicadas, la precisión en la creación de modelos 3D y el uso de algoritmos sofisticados para el análisis de datos georradar son puntos cruciales. Esta investigación es el primer paso en un proyecto más grande destinado a recuperar las aldeas antiguas de la zona griega al sur de Calabria. El presente estudio se centra en la restauración de la aldea Africo (RC), que fue golpeada en el pasado por una inundación. El trabajo comenzó con el análisis de los datos láser de la iglesia de San Nicolás en el centro del pueblo, utilizando el láser escáner Faro Focus3D y el Riegl LMS-Z420i. Paralelamente, se llevaron a cabo análisis georradar para resaltar cualquier objeto enterrado. En la fase de procesamiento, se utilizaron nuestros algoritmos desarrollados en MATLAB para ambos conjuntos de datos, escáner láser y georradar. Los resultados se compararon con los obtenidos con el software propietario respectivo. Estamos trabajando en el desarrollo de una aplicación turística en entornos de realidad virtual y aumentada que permita difundir y apreciar el patrimonio cultural. Por consiguiente, la aplicación mencionada se ha implementado de manera que permita al usuario ver el modelo 3D y la información en realidad aumentada. Con la realidad aumentada, de hecho, intentamos que haya más información disponible de otros repositorios integrándolos con monumentos, bellezas naturales, rincones característicos, creando así las condiciones para una visita inmersiva, en el caso aquí propuesto la iglesia de San Nicolás.Barrile, V.; Fotia, A.; Bilotta, G.; De Carlo, D. (2019). Integration of geomatics methodologies and creation of a cultural heritage app using augmented reality. Virtual Archaeology Review. 10(20):40-51. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2019.10361SWORD40511020Akca, D., & Gruen, A. (2007). Generalized least squares multiple 3D surface matching. ISPRS WS Laser Scanning 2007, 36(3), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-005748609Annan, A. P., & Cosway, S. W. (1994). GPR frequency selection. In Proceeding of the Fifth International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR '94), June 12-16, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, 747-760.Bae, H., Golparvar-Fard, M., & White, J. (2013). High-precision vision-based mobile augmented reality system for context-aware architectural, engineering, construction and facility management (AEC/FM) applications. Visualization in Engineering 1(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/2213-7459-1-3Ballabeni, A., Apollonio, F. I., Gaiani, M., & Remondino, F. (2015). Advances in image pre-processing to improve automated 3D reconstruction. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences Archives, XL-5/W4, 315-323. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-5-W4-315-2015Barazzetti, L., Remondino, F., & Scaioni, M. (2010). Orientation and 3D modelling from markerless terrestrial images: Combining accuracy with automation. Photogrammetric Record, 25(132), 356-381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-9730.2010.00599.xBarrile, V., & Bilotta, G. (2014). Self-localization by laser scanner and GPS in automated surveys. Computational Problems in Engineering. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, Springer, 307, 293-313.Barrile, V., Fotia, A. & Bilotta, G. (2018). Geomatics and augmented reality experiments for the cultural heritage. Applied Geomatics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-018-0231-5Barrile, V., Nunnari, A., & Ponterio, R. C. (2016). Laser scanner for the Architectural and Cultural Heritage and Applications for the Dissemination of the 3D Model. Procedia: Social & Behavioral Sciences, 223, 555-560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.313.Barrile, V., Meduri, G. M., & Bilotta, G. (2011). Laser scanner technology for complex surveying structures. WSEAS Transactions on Signal Processing, 7, 65-74.Brumana, R., Oreni, D., Caspani, S., & Previtali, M. (2018). Virtual museums and built environment: narratives and immersive experience via multi-temporal geodata hub. Virtual Archaeology Review, 19(9), 34-49,. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2018.9918.Conyers, L. B., & Goodman, D. (1997). Ground-Penetrating Radar - An Introduction for Archaeologists. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, A Division of Sage Publications, Inc.Cuca, B., Brumana, R., Scaioni, M., & Oreni, D. (2011). Spatial data management of temporal map series for cultural and environmental heritage. International Journal of Spatial Data Infrastructures Research, 6, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.2902/1725-0463.2011.06.art5Davis, J. L., & Annan, A. P. (1989). Ground-penetrating radar for high-resolution mapping of soil and rock stratigraphy, Geophysical Prospecting, 37, 531-551. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2478.1989.tb02221.xKraus, K. (2007). Photogrammetry-Geometry from images and laser scans. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.Goodman, D., Nishimura, Y., & Tobita, K. (1994). GPRSIM forward modeling software and time slices in ground penetrating radar surveys. In Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR '94), June 12-16, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, 31-43.Grandjean, G., & Gourry, J. C. (1996): GPR data processing for 3D fracture mapping in a marble quarry (Thassos, Greece). Journal of Applied Geophysics, 36, 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-9851(96)00029-8Grasmueck, M. (1996): 3D ground-penetrating radar applied to fracture imaging in gneiss. Geophysics, 61 (4), 1050-1064.Liu, X., Serhir, M., Kameni, A., Lambert, M., & Pichon, L. (2017). Ground penetrating radar data imaging via Kirchhoff migration method. In Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES 2017), Mar 2017, Florence, Italy,1-2. https://doi.org/10.23919/ROPACES.2017.7916395Merino, A., Márquez, C., & González, R. (2018). APP 3D: sculpture cycle of the Torreparedones forum (Baena, Córdoba). 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Remote sensing and data fusion of cultural and physical landscapes

This dissertation is written as part of the three-article option offered by the Geography Department at UNC Greensboro. Each article addresses specific research issues within Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, and three-dimensional modeling related structural and subsurface remote sensing of historic cultural landscapes. The articles submitted in this dissertation are both separate study sites and research questions, but the unifying theme of geographic research methods applies throughout. The first article is titled Terrestrial Lidar and GPR Investigations into the Third Line of Battle at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Guilford County, North Carolina is published in the book Digital Methods and Remote Sensing in Archaeology: Archaeology in the Age of Sensing. Forte, Maurizio, Campana, Stefano R.L. (Eds.) 2016. The results of the research demonstrate the successful exportation of GPR data into three-dimensional point clouds. Subsequently, the converted GPR points in conjunction with the TLS were explored to aid in the identification of the colonial subsurface. The second article submitted for consideration is titled “Three-Dimensional Modeling using Terrestrial LiDAR, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and Digital Cameras at House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site, Sanford, North Carolina.” There are two different research components to this study, modeling a structure and the landscape. The structure modeling section compares three different remote sensing approaches to the capture and three-dimensional model creation of a historic building. A detailed comparison is made between the photogrammetric models generated from digital camera photography, a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS). The final article, “Geophysical Investigations at the Harper House Bentonville Battlefield, NC State Historic Site” submitted focuses on the Harper House located in at the Bentonville Civil War battlefield. UNCG conducted a geophysical survey using a ground penetrating radar and gradiometer. The findings from the data were used to determine and pinpoint areas of interest for subsequent excavation

Developing a mixed-reality based application for bridge inspection and maintenance

Bridge inspection, which collects data for assessment and decision-making processes, plays an important role in the maintenance job of bridge structures. However, all of the inspection jobs, including general inspection, principal inspection and special inspection, generate large and unstructured data resulting in ineffective maintenance. Besides, traditional inspection generates only 2D-based and less visionary information. For a more reliable assessment of structures, it is necessary to improve the current inspection technology and process. In recent years, mixed reality (MR) technology has been proved to be effective in improving interaction, communication and collaboration among stakeholders for evaluating the database. MR and holographic technology blend 3D models with physical assets and support users to engage in the models and interact with the project data more intuitively in the real-time simulation. This paper presents an application of MR-based system called HoloBridge to enhance and facilitate bridge inspection and maintenance. The application consists of modules of inspection, evaluation, and damage mapping. The HoloBridge application is being deployed to Microsoft Hololens for tracking and assessing conditions of bridges. The application has been developed by building information modelling (BIM)-based system linked and integrated into a cross-platform game engine to evaluate bridge damage information. The application is piloted with a highway bridge in South Korea and has shown the benefits not only in the digitalized inspection processes, but also in systematic managing bridge performance

Multi-modal digital documentation and visualization of the unesco painted churches in troodos (cyprus)

In 1985, the World Heritage Committee inscribed the site “Painted Churches in the Troodos Region” of the Republic of Cyprus on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The latter included nine Byzantine and Post Byzantine Churches to which a tenth church was added in 2001. In the framework of the IH-AT project, all the churches and the premises in their proximities were analysed using a wide array of non-destructive digital methodologies coupled with more traditional art-historical studies. Image- and Range-based techniques were used to document all the morphological features of the buildings with the final goal of understanding their humble architecture. Additionally, a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was performed to investigate the presence of buried structures that, according to historical sources, were once surrounding the religious sites. For the exploitation and visualization of the extensive database by the scientific community and the public at large, a web portal comprised of reliable and efficient technology-ready tools have been developed. The proposed methodology was implemented to provide new insights on the churches’ architectural features; confirm the presence or absence of buried remains of archaeological interest; and help heritage professionals, with lack or minimal programming skills, to customize online visualizations of 3D interactive models

3D modelling of the dolerite dyke network within the Siilinjärvi phosphate deposit

Non peer reviewe

Integration of remote-sensing techniques for the preventive conservation of paleolithic cave art in the karst of the Altamira cave

Rock art offers traces of our most remote past and was made with mineral and organic substances in shelters, walls, or the ceilings of caves. As it is notably fragile, it is fortunate that some instances remain intact-but a variety of natural and anthropogenic factors can lead to its disappearance. Therefore, as a valuable cultural heritage, rock art requires special conservation and protection measures. Geomatic remote-sensing technologies such as 3D terrestrial laser scanning (3DTLS), drone flight, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) allow us to generate exhaustive documentation of caves and their environment in 2D, 2.5D, and 3D. However, only its combined use with 3D geographic information systems (GIS) lets us generate new cave maps with details such as overlying layer thickness, sinkholes, fractures, joints, and detachments that also more precisely reveal interior-exterior interconnections and gaseous exchange; i.e., the state of senescence of the karst that houses the cave. Information of this kind is of great value for the research, management, conservation, monitoring, and dissemination of cave art.This research was funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Tourism and Trade of the Regional Government of Cantabria in the context of aid to encourage industrial research and innovation in companies, project “SImulador Climático del Karst de cuevas de especial valor. (SICLIKA),” grant number 2016/INN/25