Spatial ontologies for architectural heritage

Informatics and artificial intelligence have generated new requirements for digital archiving, information, and documentation. Semantic interoperability has become fundamental for the management and sharing of information. The constraints to data interpretation enable both database interoperability, for data and schemas sharing and reuse, and information retrieval in large datasets. Another challenging issue is the exploitation of automated reasoning possibilities. The solution is the use of domain ontologies as a reference for data modelling in information systems. The architectural heritage (AH) domain is considered in this thesis. The documentation in this field, particularly complex and multifaceted, is well-known to be critical for the preservation, knowledge, and promotion of the monuments. For these reasons, digital inventories, also exploiting standards and new semantic technologies, are developed by international organisations (Getty Institute, ONU, European Union). Geometric and geographic information is essential part of a monument. It is composed by a number of aspects (spatial, topological, and mereological relations; accuracy; multi-scale representation; time; etc.). Currently, geomatics permits the obtaining of very accurate and dense 3D models (possibly enriched with textures) and derived products, in both raster and vector format. Many standards were published for the geographic field or in the cultural heritage domain. However, the first ones are limited in the foreseen representation scales (the maximum is achieved by OGC CityGML), and the semantic values do not consider the full semantic richness of AH. The second ones (especially the core ontology CIDOC – CRM, the Conceptual Reference Model of the Documentation Commettee of the International Council of Museums) were employed to document museums’ objects. Even if it was recently extended to standing buildings and a spatial extension was included, the integration of complex 3D models has not yet been achieved. In this thesis, the aspects (especially spatial issues) to consider in the documentation of monuments are analysed. In the light of them, the OGC CityGML is extended for the management of AH complexity. An approach ‘from the landscape to the detail’ is used, for considering the monument in a wider system, which is essential for analysis and reasoning about such complex objects. An implementation test is conducted on a case study, preferring open source applications

Spatial ontologies for architectural heritage

Informatics and artificial intelligence have generated new requirements for digital archiving, information, and documentation. Semantic interoperability has become fundamental for the management and sharing of information. The constraints to data interpretation enable both database interoperability, for data and schemas sharing and reuse, and information retrieval in large datasets. Another challenging issue is the exploitation of automated reasoning possibilities. The solution is the use of domain ontologies as a reference for data modelling in information systems. The architectural heritage (AH) domain is considered in this thesis. The documentation in this field, particularly complex and multifaceted, is well-known to be critical for the preservation, knowledge, and promotion of the monuments. For these reasons, digital inventories, also exploiting standards and new semantic technologies, are developed by international organisations (Getty Institute, ONU, European Union). Geometric and geographic information is essential part of a monument. It is composed by a number of aspects (spatial, topological, and mereological relations; accuracy; multi-scale representation; time; etc.). Currently, geomatics permits the obtaining of very accurate and dense 3D models (possibly enriched with textures) and derived products, in both raster and vector format. Many standards were published for the geographic field or in the cultural heritage domain. However, the first ones are limited in the foreseen representation scales (the maximum is achieved by OGC CityGML), and the semantic values do not consider the full semantic richness of AH. The second ones (especially the core ontology CIDOC – CRM, the Conceptual Reference Model of the Documentation Commettee of the International Council of Museums) were employed to document museums’ objects. Even if it was recently extended to standing buildings and a spatial extension was included, the integration of complex 3D models has not yet been achieved. In this thesis, the aspects (especially spatial issues) to consider in the documentation of monuments are analysed. In the light of them, the OGC CityGML is extended for the management of AH complexity. An approach ‘from the landscape to the detail’ is used, for considering the monument in a wider system, which is essential for analysis and reasoning about such complex objects. An implementation test is conducted on a case study, preferring open source applications

World heritage mapping in a standard-based structured geographical information system

This research aims at the study of the (dynamic) relationship between the World Heritage sites and the related human settlements development. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be useful to represent the involved information and to analyze such relationship. However, an effective harmonized structure and unique storage of possibly heterogeneous datasets is necessary to enable it. This initial step is the focus of this paper. First, the description of the structure of the related datasets and the assessment of the availability, quality, and consistency of the available information about the Heritage sites and properties is presented. Among those requirements, the quality of the associated spatial information is critical (e.g. kind of shape, accuracy, georeferencing). Second, considering the structure of the available datasets concerning the world heritage, together with the HERILAND research requirements, a global world heritage GIS is designed. The classification and data model to manage the WH list falls within the wider issue of structuring the cultural heritage documentation, involving both the definition of the semantic content and the geometric representation. In order to comply with the important requirement of data interoperability in science and to strengthen the outcomes of the research, some standardized data models and classifications are considered

Un nuovo approccio per la gestione delle risorse idriche sotterranee in ambito transfrontaliero: Prog. ALCOTRA-ALIRHYS

In seguito ai mutamenti climatici degli ultimi anni sono aumentati i rischi legati alle risorse idriche sotterranee, relativamente alle quali, una buona conoscenza finalizzata alla loro gestione e ottimizzazione è l'obiettivo del progetto, realizzato nel territorio tra Cuneo e Nizza a partire da marzo 2013. Il progetto prevede numerose acquisizioni sul campo di dati legati alle fonti di approvvigionamento delle risorse idriche mediante il monitoraggio di parametri chimici, fisici e isotopici di oltre 20 sorgenti, particolarmente significative, da correlare con i valori di precipitazione registrati da stazioni meteo e da nivo-pluviografi interrati appositamente installati. I dati vengono raccolti e gestiti in un Sistema Informativo Territoriale, adeguatamente progettato e strutturato secondo le regole dei database, per consentirne l'indipendenza dal software (commerciale o freeware), la corretta comprensione e procedure semplici di aggiornamento/modifica futuri. I dati di diversa natura raccolti dalle unità coinvolte vengono archiviati in un unico ambiente condiviso per una efficace connessione territoriale che consenta una corretta analisi dinamica delle informazioni contenute. Il SIT raccoglie la cartografia di base e i modelli altimetrici, a diverse scale e formati, dei territori dei due Stati in modo da integrare i differenti sistemi di riferimento planimetrici e altimetrici e i diversi tipi di proiezione cartografica, secondo le indicazioni INSPIRE. Il SIT prodotto è utilizzabile per l'aggiornamento continuo e per la diffusione dei risultati secondo tre livelli: traduzione in WebGIS, tramite la piattaforma open-source Geonode, per la condivisione delle informazioni e della cartografia automatica elaborabile, consentendo l'interazione da parte di utenti esterni; condivisione remota di dati vettoriali tramite Web Feature Service o Web Coverage Service; produzione dinamica di mappe tramite Web Map Service. La diffusione dei risultati di ALIRHYS viene conseguita mediante un sito internet che raccoglie, descrive e mette a disposizione dati e risultati in corso d'opera (attualmente) e finali e la realizzazione di un documentario

Strutturazione dei dati di un GIS in ontologia: applicazione per la mappatura del degrado di un caso studio

The development of applied ontologies in the field of Information Systems and Computer Science for the optimisation of the representation of data about some specific knowledge sector is reaching also the field of Cultural Heritage. The possibility to set constraints to the interpretation of information organized in data-base and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) offers noticeable advantages for the development and the communication of knowledge about this kind of objects. This methodology was applied to a case study, during a PhD research about a possible ontology for Cultural Heritage: a façade of an ex convent, today in a critical degradation, on which a thematic analysis of the degradation state of materials and surfaces, on the base of a metric survey and managed in a GIS was previously realized. In this first study, the data were modelled using an Entity – Relation (ER) schema in order to determine objects to represent with properties and mutual relations and cardinality constraints. The formality of the language used for the modelling is increased through upper-level logic instrument, which permit the formulation of an ontology of data uniquely structured for obtaining a less ambiguous interpretation on the information

THE EUROSDR GEOBIM PROJECT - DEVELOPING CASE STUDIES for the USE of GEOBIM in PRACTICE

Although the use of location-based data (location coupled with semantic information) within Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and from Earth Observation (e.g. satellite) sources has been long established for decision makers, this has only recently been reflected in the construction sector with a more recent move from Computer Aided Design (CAD) to Building Information Modelling. BIM has opened up an additional source of valuable location-based data, with particular focus on the architecture, structural and engineering detail of both buildings and infrastructure projects. As with most if not all location data, while BIM can be used on its own, major benefits are to be derived from integration with other data sources. When this is done with GIS, the result is known as GeoBIM and although there are some similarities between the two, challenges to integration are both technical and non technical, in particular the need for clear case studies to motivate both developers and senior management. There are synergies to be gained from a multi-national, coordinated approach when addressing these challenges, where participants can benefit from each-others' experience and where the needs of users and the National Mapping and Cadastral Agency (NMCA) perspective underpin the research. This paper summarises final outcomes and findings of the EuroSDR GeoBIM research project, which was set up to provide the required multi-national, user-centric collaborative framework, which had as its overall aim the development of best practice guidelines for GeoBIM, and due to its situation within EuroSDR has an NMCA focus. The paper updates information with regard to GeoBIM projects and maturity in the participant countries, and provides an overview of the two case studies developed

Cartographic data harmonisation for a cross-border project development

An essential support for environmental monitoring activities is a rigorous definition of an homogeneous cartographic system required to correctly georeference the acquired data. Furthermore, since the 2007, the European INSPIRE Directive (INfrastructure for Spatial InfoRmation in the European Community) affirms the necessity to harmonize the European maps for permitting cross-border analysis. For satisfying these requirements, the authors have developed a procedure for the cartographic harmonisation in the cross border area studied during in the European project ALCOTRA (Alpes Latines- COopération TRAnsfrontalière) – ALIRHyS (Alpes Latines- Individuation Resources Hydriques Souterraines). It concerns the hydrogeological study of various springs and other water resources in an area between Italy and France including their constitution in a cross-border system. The basic cartographic information is obtained from existing national maps (Italian and French data), which use different reference systems and are produced from different data acquisitions and processes. In this paper the authors describe the methods used to obtain well-harmonised middle-scale maps (aerial orthophotos, Digital Terrain Model and digital maps). The processing has been performed using GIS software or image analysis software in order to obtain useful and correct cartographic support for the monitoring data, even if the obtained maps could be further analysed or refined in future works

Ontologie e modelli di dati per l’informazione spaziale dei Beni Architettonici

Architectonical Heritage presents a wide quantity and heterogeneity of data, which it is necessary to manage in a suitable way in order to obtain an efficient information. The exigencies and the requirements always stated (unique catalogue methods, sharing and communication of the information for the preservation and the valorisation) are further confirmed by the information and web technologies: logics and informatics tools developed by these sectors can be efficiently employed for representation and metric documentation goals. Spatial information, following specific standards, must be managed in a suitable way in order not to lose the characteristic complexity of Architectonical Heritage and must be integrated with the thematic information which unavoidably enrich the representation. Existing standards are used, integrated, in order to obtain a data structuring which can respond to the exigencies of interoperability stated by the web and by the international organisations. Theoretical solutions are here tested on a case study

3D Modelling of trompe l’oeil decorated vaults using dense matching techniques

Dense matching techniques, implemented in many software, both commercial or open source, are effective instruments to realize a rapid and detailed survey of complex objects, including many different surfaces and a lot of details. For this reason these tools have been tested for the metric survey of a frescoed ceilings of the hall of honour of a baroque building. These surfaces are densely painted with trompe-l’oeil technique, what, in theory, can offer a very good texture to automatic matching algorithms, but in this case the painting gives problems in reconstructing the correct geometry: in fact, in correspondence with principals architectonic painted details, the models presents some irregularity following the painted drawing. The photogrammetric models have been compared with data deriving from a LIDAR survey of the same object, to evaluate the entity of this blunder: some profiles of selected sections have been extracted, verifying the different behaviours of the software tools