2nd edition of instrumenting smart city applications with big sensing and earth observatory data: Tools, methods and techniques

In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page. The exponential growth in the volume of Earth observation data and the increasing quality and availability of high-resolution imagery are increasingly making more applications possible in urban environments. In particular, remote sensing information, especially when combined with location-specific data collected locally or through connected devices, presents exciting opportunities for smart city applications, such as risk analysis and mitigation, climate prediction, and remote surveillance. On the other hand, the exploitation of this great amount of data poses new challenges for big data analysis models and requires new spatial information frameworks capable of integrating imagery, sensor observations, and social media in geographic information systems (GIS)

3D Survey and Data Processing of Bolivian Archaeology: The Ritual Receptacle from Tiwanaku

The archaeological site of Tiwanaku is among the most important examples of Bolivian archaeology and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. This works reports a geomatic-based surveying and modelling methodology applied to a ritual receptacle excavated from the semi-subterranean temple in the archaeological complex. A high-resolution 3D survey was conducted through structured-light projection scanning and post-processing operations were carried out to emphasize surface details. Most of the operations were conducted in open-source software, with the aim to establish a quick and repeatable methodology to be applied to similar case studies. The final outputs, consisting of geometry projections (unrolled meshes), digitally enhanced surfaces and vector graphics can support the work of archaeologists in interpreting the iconography depicted on the receptacle and to conduct further studies to shed light about culture and religion of the civilization that inhabited Tiwanaku

Mobile data acquisition and processing in support of an urban heat island study

Global warming and changes in Earth’s weather patterns are the main consequences of climate change, and bioclimate discomfort has significant public health problems, especially for the elderly. Normally, the thermal characteristics of urban areas are poor due to a phenomenon known as urban heat island. Mobile and fixed temperature measurements were performed on 19 March 2021 in the city of Bologna, Italy. Mobile measurements took place with a car, along a 75-km transect, starting at 22:16 with a duration of 2 hours and 41 minutes, while fixed measurements were done using 15 present weather stations and also placing five thermometers in the city center. Various interpolation models (i.e., Traditional, Voronoi Tessellation, Global Trends, Triangulated Irregular Networks, Inverse Distance Weighting and Kriging) were applied to correct the mobile measurements using fixed data. Kriging fulfilled the best result with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 compared to the raw temperatures

MONITORING THE URBAN GROWTH OF DHAKA (BANGLADESH) BY SATELLITE IMAGERY IN FLOODING RISK MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

There is large consensus that demographic changes, the lack of appropriate environmental policies and sprawling urbanization result in high vulnerability and exposure to the natural disasters. This work reports some experiences of using multispectral satellite imagery to produce landuse/cover maps for the Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh, which is subject to frequent flooding events.The activity was conducted in collaboration with the non-profit organization ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The Landsat images acquired in 2000, 2002 and 2009 were used to evaluate the urban growth in order to support risk assessment studies; to identify areas routinely flooded during the monsoon season, the image of October 2009 (the most critical month for the effects of rain) was compared with two images acquired in January and February 2010. The analysis between 2000 and 2009 was able to quantify a very rapid growth of the metropolis, with an increase in built-up areas from 75 to 111 km2. The analysis highlights also a sharp rise of Bare soil class, likely related to the construction of embankments for the creation of new building space; consequently a decrease of cultivated land was observed. In particular, these artificial islands have been invading flooding areas. The change detection procedure also showed that the flooding in October 2009 affected about 20% (115 out of 591 km2) of the entire study area; furthermore these areas became wetlands and farmland over the next three/four months

VERY HIGH-RESOLUTION 3D SURVEYING AND MODELLING EXPERIENCES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Abstract. In this paper some experiences in 3D modelling of objects with very high-resolution are described, carried out by the DICAM Geomatics group of the University of Bologna in multi-disciplinary contexts within the field of the Civil Engineering. In all the addressed case studies the main aim is the generation of a 3D model of the surface at a sub-millimetric scale, allowing a very accurate characterization of the surface geometry, useful for different purposes. 3D scanning and Structure from Motion photogrammetry have been used to generate the 3D models. In the paper the encountered problems and the adopted solutions in data surveying and processing are underlined, also discussing the added value of very high-resolution 3D modelling in multi-disciplinary activities

VERY HIGH-RESOLUTION 3D SURVEYING AND MODELLING EXPERIENCES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

In this paper some experiences in 3D modelling of objects with very high-resolution are described, carried out by the DICAM Geomatics group of the University of Bologna in multi-disciplinary contexts within the field of the Civil Engineering. In all the addressed case studies the main aim is the generation of a 3D model of the surface at a sub-millimetric scale, allowing a very accurate characterization of the surface geometry, useful for different purposes. 3D scanning and Structure from Motion photogrammetry have been used to generate the 3D models. In the paper the encountered problems and the adopted solutions in data surveying and processing are underlined, also discussing the added value of very high-resolution 3D modelling in multi-disciplinary activities

Quantitative GIS-based analysis of archaeological data of the archaic state of Tell Mardikh/Ebla (3rdmillennium BC): The Big-DEA project

The paper provides an overview on Big-DEA, a multidisciplinary project aimed at developing a comprehensive multi-level explanatory model for the development of an archaic State in the ancient Near East, using the exceptional case of Tell Mardikh, ancient Ebla (Syria), during the second half of the 3rd millennium. The project's goal is the reconstruction of the archaic state organization through an integrated analysis of archaeological and epigraphic data. The interaction between humanities and hard sciences is adopted in order to build a multi-tier explanatory model regarding the territory under the control of the Ebla kingdom, considering anthropic and environmental data deriving from excavations, survey and textual sources. The way to managing and study such a large Big Data archive, which includes different datasets, is itself the main challenge of the project: the creation of a dedicated relational database management system (RDBMS) functional to the implementation of the available GIS platform and the development of an appropriate simulation framework

Seeing into the past: integrating 3D documentation and non-invasive prospecting methods for the analysis, understanding and reconstruction of the ancient Pompeii. The case of the House of Obellio Firmo (IX, 14)

In 2015 the Department of History and Cultures of the Bologna University took part in the Grande Progetto Pompei - Piano della Conoscenza, with the task of providing a modern and complete documentation of the so-called Lotto 3 in Pompeii. The new survey was carried out by means of integrated innovative diagnostic survey techniques in order to provide a total documentary research of the whole sector. In 2016 a new project was started in agreement with the competent Superintendency, and focused on the study and preservation of the House of Obellio Firmo, included in the Lotto 3 of the Roman city. The new research contemplates an in-depth analysis of the building, employing systematic laser scanning and photogrammetry methods to generate an accurate 3D model of the house. This model is going to constitute the starting point for the further analysis of the wall stratigraphies and for the mapping and monitoring of the structures’ state of decay. The full-scale analytical documentation of the building also includes a detailed geophysical mapping of all the accessible domestic spaces, by using the ground penetrating radar technique. The preliminary results achieved by the non-invasive prospecting survey, integrated with the analysis of the surviving walls and building techniques, supply valid information for the archaeological interpretation of the house’s history. In order to allow the management and sharing of the information collected, the data are going to be organised within a building information model (BIM) with a triple objective: the reconstruction of a fragment of the ancient urban landscape in Pompeii during the oldest phase, with particular attention directed to the Samnitic period; the outlining of a precise strategy of intervention for the restoration and preservation of the House of Obellio Firmo; the re-opening of the building to sightseeing tours and its restitution to public use

3D DIGITISATION IN CULTURAL HERITAGE KNOWLEDGE AND PRESERVATION: THE CASE OF THE NEPTUNE STATUE IN BOLOGNA AND ITS ARCHETYPE

Abstract. In the field of Cultural Heritage, the availability of a complete, detailed and photo-realistic 3D model of the objects of interest permits to describe all the aspects related to geometry, colours and materials, as well as the work techniques and the decay state. Besides, it offers multiple possibilities for the documentation, the analysis and the study.This paper describes the experience, carried out by the DICAM Geomatics group of the University of Bologna, about the 3D digitisation of two important statues of Neptune, by means of the integration of 3D image-based and range-based techniques. The two artworks, both realized by the sculptor Giambologna, are the big bronze statue of the god adorning the homonymous fountain, one of the most symbolic monuments of the city of Bologna, and its archetype, exhibited in one of the civic museums.The obtained 3D models, beyond the important function of documentation, knowledge and preservation of the two objects, also permit a comparison between the small archetype, conveniently scaled, and the big final statue. In the manuscript all the surveying and data processing operations concerning the objects digitisation are described. Particular attention is paid to the problems related to the scale of the archetype and the comparison between the two obtained 3D models, with the aim to evaluate and represent the occurred changes

Qualitative and quantitative photogrammetric techniques for multi-temporal landslide analysis

The results of two survey methods, geological photointerpretation and historical photogrammetry, are compared in order to evaluate the temporal evolution of a unstable slope located in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (Italy). Historical aerial photos of the area, derived from photogrammetric surveys conducted in 1954 (scale 1:60000), in 1971 (scale 1:20000), and in 1976 (scale 1:17000) were available. A photogrammetric flight was further conducted in 2000, at a scale of 1:4400, with a traditional GPS ground survey support. First, the results of photographic analysis with the photointerpretation method are presented: the landslides are described from a geological point of view, showing its temporal evolution. To quantitatively assess the landslide movements, Digital Terrain Models were generated by means of an analytical plotter and a digital photogrammetric workstation, with semi-automatic and automatic procedures. To generate these products, it was necessary to solve problems related to a lack of data concerning the aerial cameras used for the historical flights (internal orientation) and the difficulty identifying control points on the photos in order to define the external orientation. An unconventional photogrammetric methodology, based on identification of homologous points in zones considered outside the landslide area, has been there developed and tested to insert the various surveys into a single reference system