3D Recording Las Cuevas Project
Fabrizio Galeazzi, 2016. https://doi.org/10.5284/1036099. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Dr Fabrizio Galeazzi unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Dr
Fabrizio
Galeazzi
Marie Curie Research Fellow
Department of Archaeology
University of York
King's Manor
Exhibition Square
York
YO1 7EP
England
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 2243
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1036099
- How to cite using this DOI
Overview
The main aim of the '3D Recording Las Cuevas Project' is the comparison of image-based modelling and laser scanner technologies for the 3D documentation of archaeological stratigraphy in extreme environmental conditions. The Las Cuevas site, located in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in western Belize, has been selected to challenge these two technologies in order to understand their performances in environments characterised by extreme humidity, difficulty of access and challenging light conditions.
Three areas of the site characterised by different light conditions and architectural contexts were acquired using the two techniques, and three different comparisons were made on each area. The first comparison was on data acquisition and processing time to understand the performance of the two techniques in this kind of environment. The second comparison assessed the geometric accuracy of the meshes coming from the two techniques. The last evaluation was done between high-resolution laser scanner geometries and meshes coming from image-based modelling processed at different resolutions. These comparisons aimed at understanding if and how 3D survey technologies can be integrated into day-to-day archaeological excavation practices without affecting time and logistics.
This project has also acted as the test case for the development of the ADS 3D Stratigraphy Viewer, a web-based resource for the management and analysis of archaeological data, which allows the exploration of a specific kind of aggregated data: the multiple layers of an archaeological stratigraphic sequence. The Stratigraphy Viewer aggregates the different geometric layers into a single 3D environment, whereby the user may turn layers on and off, control their transparency, and explore the layered geometry using a simple mouse- or touch-based navigation mechanism, specifically designed to manipulate these kind of geometries. The ADS 3D Viewer was a two year interdisciplinary project funded under the Marie Curie Actions Seventh Framework Programme, and benefits from the collaboration with the Visual Computing Lab (ISTI-CNR). The project is described in detail in:
- Galeazzi, F., Callieri, M., Dellepiane, M., Charno, M., Richards, J., Scopigno, R. (2016) 'Web-based visualization for 3D data in archaeology: The ADS 3D viewer.' Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 9, 1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.06.045
Further reading:
- Galeazzi, F. (2015) 'Towards the Definition of Best 3D Practices in Archaeology: Assessing 3D Documentation Techniques for Intra-site Data Recording'. Journal of Cultural Heritage 17, 159-69. DOI:10.1016/j.culher.2015.07.005
- Galeazzi, F., Moyes, H. and Aldenderfer, M. (2014) 'Defining Best 3D Practices in Archaeology: Comparing Laser Scanning and Dense Stereo Matching Techniques for 3D Intra-sire Data Recording'. Advances in Archaeological Practice 2 (4). DOI:10.7183/2326-3768.2.4.353
- Galeazzi, F., Moyes, H. and Aldenderfer, M. (2014) '3D Documentation in Archaeology: Recording Las Cuevas Site, Chiquibul Reserve, Belize'. In Earl, G., Sly, T., Chrysanthi, A., Murrieta-Flores, P., Papadopoulos, C., Romanowska, I. and Wheatley, D. (eds.), Archaeology in the Digital Era Volume II. e-Papers from the 40th Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, Southampton, 26-30 March 2012. Amsterdam, NL: Amsterdam University Press. (Download from Academia)
- Galeazzi, F., Lindgren, S. and Moyes, H. (2013) 'Comparison of Laser Scanning and Dense Stereo Matching Techniques in Diverse Environmental Conditions and Light Exposure: the Case Study of Las Cuevas, Belize'.In CHNT 18, International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies, November 11-13, 2013, Vienna, Austria. Online Proceedings. http://www.chnt.at/wp-content/uploads/Galeazzi_etal_2014.pdf
- Lindgren, S. and Galeazzi, F. (2013) '3D Laser Scanning in Cave Environment: the Case of Las Cuevas, Belize. Acquisition of the Cave System and Excavation Area'. In Addison, A. C., Guidi, G., De Luca, L. and Pescarin, S. (eds.), 2013 Digital Heritage International Conference, 28 October – 1 November 2013, Marseille, France, Volume 1. Proceedings of the Institute of Electronical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 219-222. DOI: 10.1109/DigitalHeritage.2013.6743737
