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

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

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

3D model generation using oblique images acquired by UAV

In recent years, many studies revealed the advantages of using airborne oblique images for obtaining improved 3D city models (including façades and building footprints). Here the acquisition and use of oblique images from a low cost and open source Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the 3D high-level-of-detail reconstruction of historical architectures is evaluated. The critical issues of such acquisitions (flight planning strategies, ground control points distribution, etc.) are described. Several problems should be considered in the flight planning: best approach to cover the whole object with the minimum time of flight; visibility of vertical structures; occlusions due to the context; acquisition of all the parts of the objects (the closest and the farthest) with similar resolution; suitable camera inclination, and so on. In this paper a solution is proposed in order to acquire oblique images with one only flight. The data processing was realized using Structure-from-Motion-based approach for point cloud generation using dense image-matching algorithms implemented in an open source software. The achieved results are analysed considering some check points and some reference LiDAR data. The system was tested for surveying a historical architectonical complex: the “Sacro Monte di Varallo Sesia” in north-west of Italy. This study demonstrates that the use of oblique images acquired from a low cost UAV system and processed through an open source software is an effective methodology to survey cultural heritage, characterized by limited accessibility, need for detail and rapidity of the acquisition phase, and often reduced budgets

3D roof model generation and analysis supporting solar system positioning

Given the growing needs of renewable energy in urban areas, identifying suitable installation locations for solar systems is increasingly important. Existing energetic cadastres have often a limited level of detail in the analysed geometry, which needs to be rapidly updated following any changes in the buildings. The required 3D data can be generated by photogrammetry techniques and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) software. In this paper, the method was tested employing Digital Mapping Camera images (virtual images), on a case study in north-west of Italy. The results were analysed for assessing the reliability of the DSM produced by SfM methods, to be employed in solar radiation analyses. The problem of this kind of automatic 3D modelling could be sometimes the excessive detail in reconstructing the geometry of the roofs or the possible noise. The results are managed and analysed in Geographical Information System (GIS) tools. For the whole workflow, proprietary and free open source software (OSS) were used. The problems and limitations were investigated in order to evaluate and confirm the reliability and cost effectiveness of the described methods

A European Interoperable Database (EID) to increase resilience of Cultural Heritage

The set of laws, actions and organizations for Cultural Heritage (CH) protection is born in the different countries of the European Union from local cultural situations, so the ability to cope with the emergency is certainly different. In addition to the damages that can occur to cultural assets after a disaster, an inadequate emergency intervention can sometimes cause further losses to the CH. The effectiveness of response depends on the adequacy of advanced planning. Some countries have designed emergency plans but their databases (DBs) are fragmented, incomplete and not standardized. It is thus necessary to establish a DB for emergency assistance and maps of CH at risk to be compared with maps of natural hazards and risks, in order to take preventive and operational measures, as well as agree on a common terminology and international standards. The project aims to enhance the capability of Civil Protection to prevent disasters impacts on CH by implementing a European Interoperable Database (EID) as supporting decision tool to understand the risk of damage to cultural assets. The EID, starting from the international standards to represent the map objects (CityGML, INSPIRE), the classification of CH in Europe (UNESCO), in Italy (MiBACT), in Germany and in France and from risks and disasters analysis, will design, with its Conceptual Data Model, an extension of the INSPIRE UML model. This DB will also support 3D models to help finding and recognizing dispersed artworks and facilitate a post-emergency restoration, preserving thus a digital memory in case of destruction

Study and development of a GIS for fire-fighting activities based on INSPIRE directive

According to the Annual Fire Report 2013 (European Commission-Joint Research Centre, 2014), there have been 873 forest fires in Europe, in 2013, for a total of 340559 ha of territory. A comparison of this data to that of the previous years, highlights that, when the intended goal is that of preserving the environment and saving human lives, the importance of the correct management of forest fires can not be underestimated. In the past years, the European Union has invested in the development of the INSPIRE Directive (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) to support environmental policies. Furthermore, the EU is currently working on developing ad hoc infrastructures for the safe management of forests and fires. The AF3 EU project (Advanced Forest Fire Fighting), financed by the FP7, addresses the issue of developing innovative tools to handle all stages of forest fires. The project develops a single control center for the coordination of monitoring, manoeuvring, and post-fire operations. The SDI platform (Spatial Data Infrastructure) represents another component which was designed in the context of this project. It is based on a GIS (Geographic Information System) which is able to efficiently integrate multi-modal data. Following an analysis of the state of the art of information systems for forest fire-fighting, and in light of the end-user requirements analyzed within the AF3 project, we propose a geo-topographic database based on the INSPIRE Directive and developed on opensource platforms, which provides interoperability of the data and allows forecasting and monitoring of high-risk areas, decision making, damage estimation, and post-fire management