Structure from Motion for Systematic Single Surface Documentation of Archaeological Excavations (original) (raw)
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A comparative assessment of structure from motion methods for archaeological research
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
ABSTRACT This paper addresses the use of open source, structure from motion methods for creating 3d pointclouds from photographs and compares these with alternative workflows in other software, and relative accuracy compared to other 3D modelling methods. It describes a series of case studies that use structure from motion to record standing buildings and create digital elevation models. Looking at other recording techniques it finds that structure from motion can produce better results than traditional techniques such as plan drawing, topographic survey and photogrammetry, and is cheaper and more accessible than new techniques such as laser scanning and LiDAR, although it is less accurate in some regards. It demonstrates that good accuracy can be achieved if careful measurements are made, and concludes that it has great potential for widespread archaeological application.
Archeological 3D Mapping: The Structure from Motion Revolution
Index of Texas Archaeology Open Access Grey Literature from the Lone Star State, 2016
Mapping is a critical aspect of systematic documentation no matter where archaeologists work. From hand-drawn maps of excavation units to maps created with Total Data Stations or LiDAR scanning, today’s archaeologists have a suite of mapping techniques and technologies to choose from when documenting a site. Typically, spectacular sites often receive high resolution mapping, whereas everyday sites rarely do. Recently, however, a revolutionary technology and technique has been created that can produce highly accurate and precise three-dimensional maps and orthophotos of archaeological sites, features, and profiles at a fraction of the cost and time of LiDAR and intensive TDS mapping: Structure from Motion (SfM). SfM is a new digital photography processing technique for capturing highly detailed, three-dimensional (3D) data from almost any surface using digital cameras. This article introduces the various platforms SfM photographs can be collected from (UAV, kites, balloons, poles, an...
This paper presents the possibilities of implementation of image-based modeling procedures combining the Structure from Motion (SfM) approach with dense Multi-View Stereo (MVS) algorithms in a documentation workflow of rescue archaeological excavations. The primal focus is the evaluation of its advantages as well as its drawbacks with respect to the special needs and demands of documentation practice of rescue excavations. Further, the paper tries to pose questions on the relevance of 3D data acquisition and their subsequent exploitation possibilities. At the ongoing rescue excavations on the courtyard of the Bratislava castle and the area of Čachtice castle (Slovakia), such an image-based modeling approach was introduced into the existing documentation workflow. To assess the benefits and drawbacks of these relatively new techniques and compare them to the recording strategy used hitherto, the complete field documentation was carried out in a traditional way (i.e. total station measurements, still photography and 2D photogrammetry) as well as by applying an SfM+MVS approach using the software package PhotoScan Professional from Agisoft. Afterwards, both datasets were compared in terms of accuracy and interpretative value. Additionally, the time and financial costs needed to acquire basic data sets and produce the final archaeological documentation, were taken into account. With these comparisons, it is hoped that the benefits and drawbacks of image-based 3D modeling in the context of commercial archaeological rescue excavations will become clearer.
In A. Brysbaert, V. Klinkenberg, A. Gutiérrez Garcia-M. & I. Vikatou (eds), Constructing Monuments, Perceiving Monumentality and the Economics of Building: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to the Built Environment. Leiden, 2018
Recent advancements in digital technologies have resulted in quick changes how architecture can be documented in three dimensions. Building remains are one of the most typical classes of archaeological features discovered in a large number of fieldwork projects, and new developments in hard- and software are fast replacing traditional ways of recording and draughtsmanship. Even though laser scanning is still beyond the budget of most projects, high-quality recording can be achieved using digital photography and total stations. Two-dimensional line-drawings can be directly derived from the intensive stone-by-stone documentation carried out using reflectorless total stations: the projections can be produced to any required direction (plans, elevations, sections). For large complexes drone photography can shorten the required fieldwork time. Several case studies of combining total station recording with aerial and land-based photogrammetry are presented in this paper. Full three-dimensional documentation of existing features allows also for reconstructions which fit the recorded data better than what is possible using traditional means; also, the employed methodology facilitates subsequent analyses of the recorded architectural and archaeological features. The Finnish Institute at Athens has annually trained students without previous experience of archaeological documentation in short field courses to use the combined methodology resulting in a growing number of post-graduates familiar with current approaches to documenting architectural remains.
From 2D to 3D: a photogrammetric revolution in archaeology?
2012
This thesis investigates the possibilities of modern digital photogrammetry as a methodologyfor topographical field documentation in archaeology. The methodology is compared to whathas become the main tool for topographical documentation in Norwegian rescue archaeology,the total station. Using self-developed methods for evaluating the data I have been able todetermine the quality of each methodology in terms of resolution and time spent recording.This evaluation shows that digital photogrammetry is by far the better choice for recordingtopographical data at an archaeological excavation. I have also shown some possibleapplications for this kind of data in both visualizing and analyzing the data.
Studies in Digital Heritage, 2021
The last decade of advances in Image-Based Modeling (IBM) data acquisition based on Structure from Motion (SfM) have made it possible as never before to record excavated archaeological deposits, historical architectural remains, artifacts, and geographical surroundings in the field. Armed only with digital cameras and low-cost or open-source software, researchers can now produce accurate point clouds of millions of points, capturing archaeological information in high-resolution detail. But what changes will IBM really bring to the standards, requirements, and expectations of practical field methodology for projects operating on shoe-string budgets? Since 2010, the Via Consolare Project, a small archaeological research project from a State level University, has employed an entirely open-source and “free for academic use” IBM pipeline to record a variety of archaeological features in Insula VII 6 and the “Villa delle Colonne a mosaico” in Pompeii. Ranging from surviving architecture, ...