Cultural Heritage Documentation

The group’s research portfolio also includes the surveying and mapping of cultural heritage including landscapes, buildings, monuments, archaeological sites and materials. Documentation of cultural heritage is an integral part of preservation and conservation and is supported by a range of recording techniques: manual measurements (tape, handheld distometer), tacheometry using a total station, data acquisition using a fast scanning image assisted total station, GPS/GNSS, terrestrial laser scanning, terrestrial photogrammetry, aerial photogrammetry, airborne laser scanning and other (geophysical prospecting) methods. Typical products of our practical work are site plans, floor plans, elevations, cross sections, axonometric views, 3D models and/with referenced textures (texture maps, orthophotos). Present research activities focus on the use of consumer-grade digital cameras in cultural heritage recording. Commercial and open source software using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) technology has been tested for 3D modelling. This ‘democratization’ of close-range photogrammetry (everybody can do it) offers great possibilities in the documentation of cultural heritage by volunteers. Our group also specializes in emergency recording of cultural heritage where fast response and action are essential. We can showcase several examples for the City of Graz where we provided last-minute documentation of buildings due to be demolished. Proper visualization of the results and long-term archiving of data/working material are additional interesting topics in our practical work of cultural heritage documentation. Our team collaborates closely with the Institute of Urban and Architectural History, Graz University of Technology, the Austrian Federal Monuments Office, local architects and civil engineers. WWW links: International Committee for Cultural Heritage (CIPA) Heritage documentation, Bundesdenkmalamt