MAIN FEATURES OF A 3D GIS FOR A MONUMENTAL COMPLEX WITH AN HISTORICAL-CULTURAL RELEVANCE

The last achievements of technologies in geomatics especially in survey and restitution of 3D models (UAV/drones and laser scanner technologies) generated new procedures and higher standards of quality in representation of archaeological sites. Together with Geomatics, the recent development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) strongly contribute to document and the Cultural Heritage (CH). The representation and documentation of CH using these new technologies has became necessary in order to satisfy different needs: – for restorers in order to acquire a deep knowledge of the cultural good and to define possible strategies of restoration; – for the conservation of information, allowing to preserve the 3D geometry of the monumental complex with the integration of descriptions about architectural elements; – for touristic aims, giving the opportunity of sharing CH information on web, allowing users to visit and explore, in a virtual way, monumental complexes, acquiring information details about architectural elements or the history of monumental complex. Looking through these new scenarios, the development of a 3D Geographic Information System (GIS) applied to a cultural good could be, today, an added value of fundamental importance for full description and data management of monumental complexes. In this work, the main features necessary for the correct construction of a 3D GIS of a monumental complex will be analyzed, with a particular focus on the possibilities for creating a standardized procedure to follow

3D DATA INTEGRATION FOR WEB BASED OPEN SOURCE WebGL INTERACTIVE VISUALISATION

Recent advances in open-source geospatial technologies in WebGIS allowed the visualization of a 3D complex environment on the web, exploiting realistic Globe reproduction of the real territorial asset. At the same time, in the field of gaming technologies, the new possibilities offered by open-source WebGL JavaScript libraries allowed the creation of Virtual Reality navigation models on the web. The integration between 3D GIS globe navigation models and VR environment navigation is a solution that offers a further level of detail in web navigation, exploiting the capabilities of web browsers in the best way. This research further contributes to this field, showing a workflow to integrate different 3D data in a VR and 3D WebGIS navigation model. The case study for this research is the new building of the University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of Enschede (The Netherlands). This work tests the online integration of variety of 3D input data that can lead to different Levels of Details (LoD) of the buildings inside the Globe-based WebGIS platform. The developed solution works on desktop and mobile devices using the capabilities of the most common web browsers, avoiding any software installation. The result of this work is based on completely open-source solutions that offers the possibility to navigate within a 3D model, which is useful for citizens, governmental or private institutions in decision-making processes. This work represents a first step towards the ambition to generate a web Digital Twin platform to combine datasets from different sources in a unique open-source solution

Augmented virtual accessibility of CH: The web navigation model of inquisition prisons

The latest advances in the architectural survey and 3D reconstruction have produced new technologies and methodologies to enhance cultural assets and improve their accessibility. The possibility of virtually visiting a place of historical and cultural interest is often the only way to have access to it. This can happen for various reasons: users' disabilities, temporary site closure, assets located in remote and inaccessible places, and assets destined to disappear over time. Fortunately, new Geomatics and Computer Science technologies allow the virtual reconstruction of entire archaeological and monumental sites with high levels of accuracy. Considering the technologies related to VR, online virtual fruition techniques were recently adopted, using the open source WebGL JavaScript libraries. These libraries allow users to virtually explore the virtual model employing web browsers without installing any client-side applications. The work presented adopts these technologies. It falls within the VASARI project, whose goal is to create a single digital platform for the enhancement, use, and management of the Italian artistic heritage. In particular, the described work concerns the survey, 3D reconstruction, and web visualization of the archaeological site of the Inquisition Prisons located within the monumental complex of Palazzo Chiaramonte in Palermo, known as the "Steri" and today the headquarters of the Rectorate of the University of Palermo. The adopted workflow and encountered issues during implementation will be described

Three-Dimensional Documentation and Virtual Web Navigation System for the Indoor and Outdoor Exploration of a Complex Cultural Heritage Site

The spread of new survey strategies for the documentation and 3D reconstruction of complex cultural heritage sites enables the implementation of virtual web navigation systems that are useful for their virtual fruition. In particular, remote indoor/outdoor exploration enhances our knowledge of cultural heritage sites, even in inaccessible or difficult-to-visit states. However, the 3D data acquisition of complex sites for documentation remains a challenge, and the 3D virtual exploration of these datasets is often limited to property software implementations. This work describes the 3D documentation and construction of an indoor/outdoor web visualization system based on the WebGL open-source technology of a complex cultural heritage site. The case study regards the complex of “Santa Maria della Grotta” in Marsala (Italy), which is composed of a church that is located mostly underground and is connected to a human-dug hypogea on the site of a Punic necropolis. The aim of the work was to obtain detailed 3D documentation of the indoor and outdoor spaces through the integration of mobile laser scanning and aerial photogrammetry survey, and to develop a virtual web navigation system for the remote exploration of the site. The indoor/outdoor web navigation system provides users with a simple, web-browser-based 3D visualization, enabling the dissemination of the monuments’ knowledge on the web through an economically sustainable solution based on open-source technologies