Computer vision, archaeological classification and China's terracotta warriors

Structure-from-motion and multiview-stereo together offer a computer vision technique for reconstructing detailed 3D models from overlapping images of anything from large landscapes to microscopic features. Because such models can be generated from ordinary photographs taken with standard cameras in ordinary lighting conditions, these techniques are revolutionising digital recording and analysis in archaeology and related subjects such as palaeontology, museum studies and art history. However, most published treatments so far have focused merely on this technique's ability to produce low-cost, high quality representations, with one or two also suggesting new opportunities for citizen science. However, perhaps the major artefact scale advantage comes from significantly enhanced possibilities for 3D morphometric analysis and comparative taxonomy. We wish to stimulate further discussion of this new research domain by considering a case study using a famous and contentious set of archaeological objects: the terracotta warriors of China's first emperor. © 2014 The Authors

3D MODELING OF THE MICHIGAN TECH HUSKY STATUE USING A CLOSE-RANGE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC APPROACH

In fall of 2014 a three meter tall statue of a Husky was erected on the campus of Michigan Technological University. The Husky is Michigan Tech’s mascot and a symbol of the snowy frozen north woods in which the campus is located. The statue was conceived and funded by the universities alumni association and by donors who paid to have bricks engraved around the statue. A team of graduate students in the Integrated Geospatial Technology program came up with the idea of using photogrammetry to model the statue in order to perform accurate measurements of area and volume. This initial idea was taken another step by the need for a course project in close-range photogrammetry and a desire by the alumni association to publish a 3D model of the statue online. This study tests two software packages that can be used to create a photogrammetric model of the statue. A final data set has yet to be collected; however initial attempts have been successful in creating a highly detailed digital model. With the weather clearing and the snow melting work will continue on this project

Aplicaciones de técnicas de imágenes 3D de bajo costo para documentación de bienes culturales

3D image recording has reached an increasing impact on the field of cultural heritage. Applications include documentation of the state of conservation and dimensions of an object, the archaeological survey of artefacts, the dissemination of museum collections and sites, and packaging designing, among others. The 3D image acquisition techniques most commonly used are laser or structured light scanning and, increasingly, close range digital photogrammetry. In this work a 3D digitization case-study is presented in order to explore the advantages and possibilities of close range digital photogrammetry respect to scanning techniques in documentation of heritage objects. Free and low-cost software used by these techniques were tested and the quality of the results obtained in each case is analyzed. The potentiality of close range digital photogrammetry to enhance the resolution of the 3D recording is also discussed.El registro de imágenes 3D ha tenido un impacto creciente en el campo de los bienes culturales. Las aplicaciones incluyen la documentación del estado de conservación y de las dimensiones de un objeto, el estudio arqueológico de artefactos, la difusión de las colecciones de museos y sitios y el diseño de embalaje, entre otros. Las técnicas de adquisición de imágenes 3D comúnmente más usadas son el escaneo con láser y con luz estructurada y, cada vez más, la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano. En este trabajo, se presenta un estudio de caso de digitalización 3D para explorar las ventajas y posibilidades de la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano respecto a las técnicas de escaneo en documentación de bienes culturales. Se probaron software gratuitos y de bajo costo y se analizó la calidad de los resultados obtenidos en cada caso. También se discute la potencialidad de la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano para optimizar la resolución.Centro de Investigaciones Óptica

Applications of low-cost 3D imaging techniques for the documentation of heritage objects

3D image recording has reached an increasing impact on the field of cultural heritage. Applications include documentation of the state of conservation and dimensions of an object, the archaeological survey of artefacts, the dissemination of museum collections and sites, and packaging designing, among others. The 3D image acquisition techniques most commonly used are laser or structured light scanning and, increasingly, close range digital photogrammetry. In this work a 3D digitization case-study is presented in order to explore the advantages and possibilities of close range digital photogrammetry respect to scanning techniques in documentation of heritage objects. Free and low-cost software used by these techniques were tested and the quality of the results obtained in each case is analyzed. The potentiality of close range digital photogrammetry to enhance the resolution of the 3D recording is also discussed.Fil: Morita, María Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; ArgentinaFil: Bilmes, Gabriel Mario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; Argentin

Aplicaciones de técnicas de imágenes 3D de bajo costo para documentación de bienes culturales

3D image recording has reached an increasing impact on the field of cultural heritage. Applications include documentation of the state of conservation and dimensions of an object, the archaeological survey of artefacts, the dissemination of museum collections and sites, and packaging designing, among others. The 3D image acquisition techniques most commonly used are laser or structured light scanning and, increasingly, close range digital photogrammetry. In this work a 3D digitization case-study is presented in order to explore the advantages and possibilities of close range digital photogrammetry respect to scanning techniques in documentation of heritage objects. Free and low-cost software used by these techniques were tested and the quality of the results obtained in each case is analyzed. The potentiality of close range digital photogrammetry to enhance the resolution of the 3D recording is also discussed.El registro de imágenes 3D ha tenido un impacto creciente en el campo de los bienes culturales. Las aplicaciones incluyen la documentación del estado de conservación y de las dimensiones de un objeto, el estudio arqueológico de artefactos, la difusión de las colecciones de museos y sitios y el diseño de embalaje, entre otros. Las técnicas de adquisición de imágenes 3D comúnmente más usadas son el escaneo con láser y con luz estructurada y, cada vez más, la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano. En este trabajo, se presenta un estudio de caso de digitalización 3D para explorar las ventajas y posibilidades de la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano respecto a las técnicas de escaneo en documentación de bienes culturales. Se probaron software gratuitos y de bajo costo y se analizó la calidad de los resultados obtenidos en cada caso. También se discute la potencialidad de la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano para optimizar la resolución.Centro de Investigaciones Óptica

Aplicaciones de técnicas de imágenes 3D de bajo costo para documentación de bienes culturales

3D image recording has reached an increasing impact on the field of cultural heritage. Applications include documentation of the state of conservation and dimensions of an object, the archaeological survey of artefacts, the dissemination of museum collections and sites, and packaging designing, among others. The 3D image acquisition techniques most commonly used are laser or structured light scanning and, increasingly, close range digital photogrammetry. In this work a 3D digitization case-study is presented in order to explore the advantages and possibilities of close range digital photogrammetry respect to scanning techniques in documentation of heritage objects. Free and low-cost software used by these techniques were tested and the quality of the results obtained in each case is analyzed. The potentiality of close range digital photogrammetry to enhance the resolution of the 3D recording is also discussed.El registro de imágenes 3D ha tenido un impacto creciente en el campo de los bienes culturales. Las aplicaciones incluyen la documentación del estado de conservación y de las dimensiones de un objeto, el estudio arqueológico de artefactos, la difusión de las colecciones de museos y sitios y el diseño de embalaje, entre otros. Las técnicas de adquisición de imágenes 3D comúnmente más usadas son el escaneo con láser y con luz estructurada y, cada vez más, la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano. En este trabajo, se presenta un estudio de caso de digitalización 3D para explorar las ventajas y posibilidades de la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano respecto a las técnicas de escaneo en documentación de bienes culturales. Se probaron software gratuitos y de bajo costo y se analizó la calidad de los resultados obtenidos en cada caso. También se discute la potencialidad de la fotogrametría digital de objeto cercano para optimizar la resolución.Centro de Investigaciones Óptica

Introduction: Archaeological inferences and computational spaces

This chapter analyzes the palimpsest of archaeological data scattered across the landscapes of eastern Spain. It explores the computational model in Net-Logo a platform for the creation of agent-based models (ABM) to test whether land-use dynamics in which small-holders exhausted the fields around a farmstead and moved to another could produce a cumulative archaeological landscape of regularly spaced sites. The chapter characterizes the spread of a particular hunting technology across Pleistocene Europe in the millennia leading up to the last glacial maximum (LGM). It creates a computational model that combined spreading rates derived from a spatial analysis of the radiocarbon data with information about the rates at which humans on foot likely traversed terrain of varying ruggedness. Computational model is a potentially transformative technology for the social sciences in general and archaeology in particular. Results generated by the MedLand Modeling Laboratory (MML) can be treated as hypotheses about human-environmental interaction

DigiArt: towards a virtualization of Cultural Heritage

DigiArt is a Europe-wide project aimed at providing a new, cost efficient solution to the capture, processing and display of cultural artefacts. The project will change the ways in which the public interact with cultural objects and spaces in a dramatic way. This project is unique in its collaborative approach: cultural heritage professionals working directly with electrical, mechanical, optical and software engineers to develop a solution to current issues faced by the museum sector. The innovations created by the engineers are driven by the demand of the cultural heritage sector. The diversity of the objects and spaces of the three test museums are challenging the engineers to provide a tool useful for a broad variety of indoor and outdoor museums in the future. This goes from using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs or drones) to fly and record large sites, to using scanners to record fine jewellery. As a case study, we present here the use-case of Scladina Cave. At the end of the project, the Scladina Cave Archaeological Centre will offer two different visitor experiences. The first uses virtual reality, which will be available anytime, anywhere, to anyone with an internet connected device. The second will use augmented reality technologies within the cave site. The augmented reality visit of the cave will enhance the tour of Scladina by offering visits that would not be possible where it not for the augmented reality, where 3D objects and animations will contribute to offer a new 3D-immersive experience

Citizen Archaeologists. Online Collaborative Research about the Human Past

Archaeology has a long tradition of volunteer involvement but also faces considerable challenges in protecting and understanding a geographically widespread, rapidly dwindling and ever threatened cultural resource. This paper considers a newly launched, multi-application crowdsourcing project called MicroPasts that enables both community-led and massive online contributions to high quality research in archaeology, history and heritage. We reflect on preliminary results from this initiative with a focus on the technical challenges, quality control issues and contributors motivations

Erste Erfahrungen aus der Grabungspraxis

Photogrammetrische Dokumentationsmethoden in der Archäologie waren bislang aufgrund ihrer Komplexität und der notwendigen kostspieligen Ausrüstung überwiegend Spezialisten vorbehalten und fanden nur in Einzelfällen im Grabungsalltag Anwendung. Seit kurzem sind jedoch Softwarelösungen verfügbar, die eine dreidimensionale photogrammetrische Auswertung von Bildern auch handelsüblicher unkalibrierter (Digital-)Kameras gestatten. Eines dieser Programme ist das einfach zu bedienende und preisgünstige ,PhotoScan‘ der russischen Firma Agisot LLC. Erste Praxiserfahrungen mit diesem Programm sollen in diesem Artikel an drei ganz unterschiedlichen archäologischen Beispielen vorgestellt werden