Survey on the current use and application of 3D-technology for archaeological and cultural heritage purposes

Abstract

Digital archaeology and image-based 3D-documentation have become widespread in archaeological everyday practice. Despite its relevance, a common ground for storing and archiving the massive datasets produced by 3D-documentation is still missing. Aims, applications and strategies are diverse, as are software solutions. To get an insight into the current use and the application of image-based 3Ddocumentation a survey among practitioners was conducted. The survey was spread through brad channels and conducted online. The aim of the survey was to address the following main-questions: - How is image-based 3D-technology used and applied? - What solutions and practices are in use concerning the archiving of 3D-data? - What are the needs for a sustainable and reliable application of 3D-technology? The survey reached more than 70 contributions from a range of different countries from practitioners working with image-based 3D-technology. Preliminary results seem to confirm a broad range of different applications, different programs and different data management approaches