UAV surveying for a complete mapping and documentation of archaeological findings. The early Neolithic site of Portonovo

The huge potential of 3D digital acquisition techniques for the documentation of archaeological sites, as well as the related findings, is almost well established. In spite of the variety of available techniques, a sole documentation pipeline cannot be defined a priori because of the diversity of archaeological settings. Stratigraphic archaeological excavations, for example, require a systematic, quick and low cost 3D single-surface documentation because the nature of stratigraphic archaeology compels providing documentary evidence of any excavation phase. Only within a destructive process each single excavation cannot be identified, documented and interpreted and this implies the necessity of a re- examination of the work on field. In this context, this paper describes the methodology, carried out during the last years, to 3D document the Early Neolithic site of Portonovo (Ancona, Italy) and, in particular, its latest step consisting in a photogrammetric aerial survey by means of UAV platform. It completes the previous research delivered in the same site by means of terrestrial laser scanning and close range techniques and sets out different options for further reflection in terms of site coverage, resolution and campaign cost. With the support of a topographic network and a unique reference system, the full documentation of the site is managed in order to detail each excavation phase; besides, the final output proves how the 3D digital methodology can be completely integrated with reasonable costs during the excavation and used to interpret the archaeological context. Further contribution of this work is the comparison between several acquisition techniques (i.e. terrestrial and aerial), which could be useful as decision support system for different archaeological scenarios. The main objectives of the comparison are: i) the evaluation of 3D mapping accuracy from different data sources, ii) the definition of a standard pipeline for different archaeological needs and iii) the provision of different level of detail according to the user need

A GEODATABASE FOR MULTISOURCE DATA MANAGEMENT APPLIED TO CULTURAL HERITAGE: THE CASE STUDY OF VILLA BUONACCORSI'S HISTORICAL GARDEN

Abstract. In recent years, the digitization of historical data related to the architectural heritage and the development of ICT-based methodologies applied to cultural goods have become increasingly relevant. In this context, the use of GIS (Geographical Information System) is growing significantly, with the aim of collecting, analysing and managing heterogeneous data in a spatial context. Given such premise, the site identified for this case-study is a historical Italian Garden into the Villa Buonaccorsi in Potenza Picena (MC, Italy). The project aims at creating a methodology, that organizing natural and artificial elements in the GIS, to support management and planning of this landscape architecture, considering also the changes during the time. A suitable GIS can promote and ensure a correct use of the heritage knowledge, preserving the historical identity, overlaying the data. The data management system, specifically developed for this case, is based on an open source GIS, where surveyed data coming from different sources and the relation to the attributes have been descripted in a conceptual model. The inventory of this geodatabase, in a dedicated GIS, has allowed to perform some queries, making in output a dialogue box with all the information, in form of report, useful to the manager of a historical garden. The structure of the GIS can significantly to help who works with similar cases and it can be useful for analysis, management, storage and integration of information related to Italian gardens.</p

Impact of ASAR soil moisture data on the MM5 precipitation forecast for the Tanaro flood event of April 2009

Abstract. The representation of land-atmosphere interactions in weather forecast models has a strong impact on the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and, in turn, on the forecast. Soil moisture is one of the key variables in land surface modelling, and an inadequate initial soil moisture field can introduce major biases in the surface heat and moisture fluxes and have a long-lasting effect on the model behaviour. Detecting the variability of soil characteristics at small scales is particularly important in mesoscale models because of the continued increase of their spatial resolution. In this paper, the high resolution soil moisture field derived from ENVISAT/ASAR observations is used to derive the soil moisture initial condition for the MM5 simulation of the Tanaro flood event of April 2009. The ASAR-derived soil moisture field shows significantly drier conditions compared to the ECMWF analysis. The impact of soil moisture on the forecast has been evaluated in terms of predicted precipitation and rain gauge data available for this event have been used as ground truth. The use of the drier, highly resolved soil moisture content (SMC) shows a significant impact on the precipitation forecast, particularly evident during the early phase of the event. The timing of the onset of the precipitation, as well as the intensity of rainfall and the location of rain/no rain areas, are better predicted. The overall accuracy of the forecast using ASAR SMC data is significantly increased during the first 30 h of simulation. The impact of initial SMC on the precipitation has been related to the change in the water vapour field in the PBL prior to the onset of the precipitation, due to surface evaporation. This study represents a first attempt to establish whether high resolution SAR-based SMC data might be useful for operational use, in anticipation of the launch of the Sentinel-1 satellite

FEW SHOT PHOTOGRAMETRY: A COMPARISON BETWEEN NERF AND MVS-SFM FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

3D documentation methods for Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) domain is a field that becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, breaking down boundaries that have long separated experts from different domains. In the past, there has been an ambiguous claim for ownership of skills, methodologies, and expertise in the heritage sciences. This study aims to contribute to the dialogue between these different disciplines by presenting a novel approach for 3D documentation of an ancient statue. The method combines TLS acquisition and MVS pipeline using images from a DJI Mavic 2 drone. Additionally, the study compares the accuracy and final product of the Deep Points (DP) and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) methods, using the TLS acquisition as validation ground truth. Firstly, a TLS acquisition was performed on an ancient statue using a Faro Focus 2 scanner. Next, a multi-view stereo (MVS) pipeline was adopted using 2D images captured by a Mini-2 DJI Mavic 2 drone from a distance of approximately 1 meter around the statue. Finally, the same images were used to train and run the NeRF network after being reduced by 90%. The main contribution of this paper is to improve our understanding of this method and compare the accuracy and final product of two different approaches - direct projection (DP) and NeRF - by exploiting a TLS acquisition as the validation ground truth. Results show that the NeRF approach outperforms DP in terms of accuracy and produces a more realistic final product. This paper has important implications for the field of CH preservation, as it offers a new and effective method for generating 3D models of ancient statues. This technology can help to document and preserve important cultural artifacts for future generations, while also providing new insights into the history and culture of different civilizations. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate the potential of combining TLS and NeRF for generating accurate and realistic 3D models of ancient statues

Sentinel-1 InSAR coherence to detect floodwater in urban areas: Houston and hurricane harvey as a test case

This paper presents an automatic algorithm for mapping floods. Its main characteristic is that it can detect not only inundated bare soils, but also floodwater in urban areas. The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations of the flood that hit the city of Houston (Texas) following the landfall of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 are used to apply and validate the algorithm. The latter consists of a two-step approach that first uses the SAR data to identify buildings and then takes advantage of the Interferometric SAR coherence feature to detect the presence of floodwater in urbanized areas. The preliminary detection of buildings is a pre-requisite for focusing the analysis on the most risk-prone areas. Data provided by the Sentinel-1 mission acquired in both Strip Map and Interferometric Wide Swath modes were used, with a geometric resolution of 5 m and 20 m, respectively. Furthermore, the coherence-based algorithm takes full advantage of the Sentinel-1 mission's six-day repeat cycle, thereby providing an unprecedented possibility to develop an automatic, high-frequency algorithm for detecting floodwater in urban areas. The results for the Houston case study have been qualitatively evaluated through very-high-resolution optical images acquired almost simultaneously with SAR, crowdsourcing points derived by photointerpretation from Digital Globe and Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) inundation model over the area. For the first time the comparison with independent data shows that the proposed approach can map flooded urban areas with high accuracy using SAR data from the Sentinel-1 satellite mission

Identifying the use of a park based on clusters of visitors' movements from mobile phone data

none6noPlanning urban parks is a burdensome task, requiring knowledge of countless variables that are impossible to consider all at the same time. One of these variables is the set of people who use the parks. Despite information and communication technologies being a valuable source of data, a standardized method which enables landscape planners to use such information to design urban parks is still broadly missing. The objective of this study is to design an approach that can identify how an urban green park is used by its visitors in order to provide planners and the managing authorities with a standardized method. The investigation was conducted by exploiting tracking data from an existing mobile application developed for Cardeto Park, an urban green area in the heart of the old town of Ancona, Italy. A trajectory clustering algorithm is used to infer the most common trajectories of visitors, exploiting global positioning system and sensor-based tracks. The data used are made publicly available in an open dataset, which is the first one based on real data in this field. On the basis of these user-generated data, the proposed datadriven approach can determine the mission of the park by processing visitors' trajectories whilst using a mobile application specifically designed for this purpose. The reliability of the clustering method has also been confirmed by an additional statistical analysis. This investigation reveals other important user behavioral patterns or trends.openPierdicca R.; Paolanti M.; Vaira R.; Marcheggiani E.; Malinverni E.S.; Frontoni E.Pierdicca, R.; Paolanti, M.; Vaira, R.; Marcheggiani, E.; Malinverni, E. S.; Frontoni, E

HBIM IMPLEMENTATION for AN OTTOMAN MOSQUE. CASE of STUDY: SULTAN MEHMET FATIH II MOSQUE in KOSOVO

none5noNational Strategy For Cultural Heritage 2017-2027 is a Kosovo Government document that aims the enhancement of the system for the protection and preservation of Kosovan cultural heritage. Among the listed goals, one can find the promotion of an integrated data management approach towards cooperation platforms that involve advanced technologies and information systems applied to cultural heritage. In a country with a low technological progress, as Kosovo is, an innovative information management system like HBIM is a huge challenge. This research contributes in opening the debate about the use of HBIM even for historical architecture, illustrating a methodology of information management promoting the conservation and the valorization of a Kosovan ottoman mosque. The workflow pipeline started with the close range photogrammetric survey, obtaining first spherical panoramas and then the wire-frame processed in a 3D modelling environment, suitable to implement the HBIM project. Basing on the accuracy of the data acquisition, the availability of information about the building and the related level of knowledge, we proposed a semantic representation of the complex structure integrating in an HBIM collecting in an "ad hoc" database the geometrical building components, enriched with attributes as images, materials, decay, interventions, etc., linked to each features. Our approach is an example of how efficient semantic classification can be repeated for the analysis and the documentation of other similar ottoman mosque, simplifying the management of construction by a sort of unique and searchable archive. The advantage of the interoperability concept allows the data sharing is now stressed by HBIM.openDi Stefano F.; Malinverni E.S.; Pierdicca R.; Fangi G.; Ejupi S.Di Stefano, F.; Malinverni, E. S.; Pierdicca, R.; Fangi, G.; Ejupi, S

HBIM IMPLEMENTATION FOR AN OTTOMAN MOSQUE. CASE OF STUDY: SULTAN MEHMET FATIH II MOSQUE IN KOSOVO

Abstract. National Strategy For Cultural Heritage 2017–2027 is a Kosovo Government document that aims the enhancement of the system for the protection and preservation of Kosovan cultural heritage. Among the listed goals, one can find the promotion of an integrated data management approach towards cooperation platforms that involve advanced technologies and information systems applied to cultural heritage. In a country with a low technological progress, as Kosovo is, an innovative information management system like HBIM is a huge challenge. This research contributes in opening the debate about the use of HBIM even for historical architecture, illustrating a methodology of information management promoting the conservation and the valorization of a Kosovan ottoman mosque. The workflow pipeline started with the close range photogrammetric survey, obtaining first spherical panoramas and then the wire-frame processed in a 3D modelling environment, suitable to implement the HBIM project. Basing on the accuracy of the data acquisition, the availability of information about the building and the related level of knowledge, we proposed a semantic representation of the complex structure integrating in an HBIM collecting in an "ad hoc" database the geometrical building components, enriched with attributes as images, materials, decay, interventions, etc., linked to each features. Our approach is an example of how efficient semantic classification can be repeated for the analysis and the documentation of other similar ottoman mosque, simplifying the management of construction by a sort of unique and searchable archive. The advantage of the interoperability concept allows the data sharing is now stressed by HBIM.</p

Comparing Mobile Laser Scanner and manual measurements for dendrometric variables estimation in a black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) plantation

The growing demand of ecosystem services provided by forests increased the need for fast and accurate field survey. The recent technological innovations fostered the application of geomatic tools and processes to different fields of the forestry sector. In this study we compared the efficiency and the accuracy of Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS), combined with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology, and traditional field survey for the mensuration of main forest dendrometric variables like stem diameter at breast height (DBH), individual tree height (H), crown base height (CBH) and branch-free stem volume (VOL). With ground truth measurements taken from 50 felled trees, we tested the applicability of MLS technology for individual tree parameters esti-mation in a conifer plantation in central Italy. Our results showed no bias of DBH estimates and the corre-sponding RMSE was equal to 10.8% (2.7 cm). H and CBH measured with MLS were underestimated compared to the ground truth (bias of-8.6% for H and-13.3% for CBH). VOL values showed a bias and a RMSE of-4.1% (-0.01 m(3)) and 12.4% (0.04 m3) respectively. Tree height is not perfectly estimated due to laser obstruction by crowns layer, but the acquisition speed of this survey, joined with a suitable accuracy of parameters extraction, suggests sufficient suitability of the method for operational applications in simple forest structures (e.g. one-layered stands)