Advanced Techniques for Fast and Accurate Heritage Digitisation in Multiple Case Studies

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and digital photogrammetric techniques are two recent advances in remote sensing (RS) technology that are emerging as alternatives to high-cost airborne laser scanning (ALS) data sources. Despite the potential of UAVs in forestry applications, very few studies have included detailed analyses of UAV photogrammetric products at larger scales or over a range of forest types, including mixed conifer–broadleaf forests. In this study, we assessed the performance of fixed-wing UAV photogrammetric products of a mixed conifer–broadleaf forest with varying levels of canopy structural complexity. We demonstrate that fixed-wing UAVs are capable of efficiently collecting image data at local scales and that UAV imagery can be effectively utilized with digital photogrammetric techniques to provide detailed automated reconstruction of the three-dimensional (3D) canopy surface of mixed conifer–broadleaf forests. When combined with an accurate digital terrain model (DTM), UAV photogrammetric products are promising for producing reliable structural measurements of the forest canopy. However, the performance of UAV photogrammetric products is likely to be influenced by the structural complexity of the forest canopy. Furthermore, we highlight the potential of fixed-wing UAVs in operational forest management at the forest management compartment level, for acquiring high-resolution imagery at low cost. A future direction of this research would be to address the issue of how well the photogrammetric products can predict the actual structure of mixed conifer–broadleaf forests.

Fortyfikacje są wynikiem historycznego rozwoju ludzkich osad, regionów, a nawet narodów. Od czasów prehistorycznych po czasy współczesne fortyfikacje były istotnym elementem samoobrony każdej ludzkiej społeczności. Były one zintegrowane z otoczeniem na różne sposoby. ICOMOS (Międzynarodowa Rada Ochrony Zabytków i Miejsc Historycznych), organ doradczy w dziedzinie dziedzictwa kultury Komitetu Światowego Dziedzictwa UNESCO, przygotowuje karty, zasady, wytyczne i deklaracje w celu skutecznego ustanowienia, ochrony i wykorzystania różnych kategorii dziedzictwa kultury oraz promuje je na świecie. ICOFORT (Międzynarodowy Komitet Naukowy ds. Fortyfikacji i Dziedzictwa Wojskowego), jeden z międzynarodowych komitetów naukowych w ramach ICOMOS, opracował kartę ochrony, konserwacji i interpretacji fortyfikacji i dziedzictwa wojskowego na lata 2007–2021. Karta ta została oficjalnie przyjęta podczas Zgromadzenia Ogólnego ICOMOS w 2021 r. pt. „Wytyczne ICOMOS w sprawie fortyfikacji i dziedzictwa wojskowego”. Wytyczne te określają sposób identyfikacji podstawowych atrybutów fortyfikacji i dziedzictwa militarnego, wskazujących na ich wartość. Celem niniejszego dokumentu jest dostarczenie wskazówek dla zainteresowanych stron, głównie zarządców obiektów w określonych dziedzinach fortyfikacji i dziedzictwa wojskowego, w jaki sposób identyfikować, rozpowszechniać wartość fortyfikacji, chronić jej atrybuty ucieleśniające wartość i wykorzystywać jej dziedzictwo poprzez podejście oparte na wartościach. W Wytycznych ICOMOS przedstawiono i omówiono zbiór atrybutów, które odzwierciedlają funkcjonalną autentyczność fortyfikacji i dziedzictwa wojskowego. Fortifications are the outcome of the historical development of human settlements, regions, and even nations. From the prehistoric era to modern times, fortifications have been an essential component of the self-defense of any human community. Fortifications were integrated with their settings in various ways. ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), an advisory body in the field of cultural heritage of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, prepares charters, principles, guidelines, and declarations to effectively establish, conserve, and utilize various categories of cultural heritage, and promotes them to the world. ICOFORT (International Scientific Committee on Fortifications and Military Heritage), one of the international scientific committees under ICOMOS developed a charter on the protection, conservation, and interpretation of fortifications and military heritage from 2007 to 2021. This charter was officially adopted during the ICOMOS General Assembly in 2021 under the title of “the ICOMOS Guidelines on Fortifications and Military Heritage.” ICOMOS Guidelines set out how to identify the basic attributes of fortifications and military heritage indicating their value. In this paper, the aim is to provide directions for stakeholders, mainly site managers in specific fields of fortifications and military heritage, on how to identify, disseminate a fortification’s value, conserve its attributes embodying the value, and utilize its heritage through a value-based approach. It considers and offers an interpretation of the attribute system that reflects the functional authenticity of the fortifications and military heritage.

The especial concern of the Society for Historical Archaeology (see note on pp. 33–34 of this issue) for underwater sites is echoed at the international level. We published earlier (CMAS 1(3), 189–190) a comment by Robert Hohlfelder on the draft ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Charter on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage. That draft has now been extensively revised. Of particular interest are a new paragraph on site management and maintenance (Article 10) and an expanded recommendation concerning community involvement (Article 14).The Charter has now been approved by the General Assembly of ICOMOS. We publish here its full English text (the English and French texts are available in ICOMOS News 7(1), January 1997, which is also due to publish the Spanish version in the following issue).(Ratified by the 11th ICOMOS General Assembly, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 5 to 9 October, 1996)

Wireless communication is an essential technology to unlock the full potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in numerous applications and has thus received unprecedented attention recently. Although technologies such as direct link, WiFi, and satellite communications are still useful in some remote scenarios where cellular services are unavailable, it is believed that exploiting the thriving 5G and beyond cellular networks to support UAV communications is the most promising and cost-effective approach, especially when the number of UAVs grows dramatically. On the one hand, to guarantee safe and efficient flight operations of multiple UAVs, it is of paramount importance to provide secure and ultra-reliable communication links between the UAVs and their ground pilots or control stations for conveying command and control signals, especially in beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) scenarios. On the other hand, because of advances in communication equipment miniaturization as well as UAV manufacturing, mounting compact and lightweight base stations (BSs) or relays on UAVs becomes increasingly feasible. This has led to two promising research paradigms for UAV communications, namely, UAV-assisted cellular communications and cellular-connected UAVs, where UAVs are integrated into cellular networks as aerial communication platforms and aerial users, respectively. As such, integrating UAVs into cellular networks is believed to be a win-win technology for both UAV-related industries and cellular network operators, which not only creates plenty of new business opportunities but also benefits the communication performance of 3-D wireless networks. In addition, UAV related sensing and computing are also helpful for achieving efficient and reliable communication (e.g., in avoiding coverage holes) as well as smart UAV coordination, positioning, and trajectory design. However, 5G and beyond wireless networks with UAVs significantly differs from traditional communication systems, because of the high altitude and high maneuverability of UAVs, the unique UAV-ground channels, the diversified quality of service (QoS) requirements for downlink command and control (C&C) and uplink mission-related data transmission, the stringent constraints imposed by the size, weight, and power (SWAP) limitations of UAVs, as well as the new design degrees of freedom enabled by joint UAV mobility control and communication resource allocation.

Wireless communication is an essential technology to unlock the full potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in numerous applications and has thus received unprecedented attention recently. Although technologies such as direct link, WiFi, and satellite communications are still useful in some remote scenarios where cellular services are unavailable, it is believed that exploiting the thriving 5G and beyond cellular networks to support UAV communications is the most promising and cost-effective approach, especially when the number of UAVs grows dramatically. On the one hand, to guarantee safe and efficient flight operations of multiple UAVs, it is of paramount importance to provide secure and ultra-reliable communication links between the UAVs and their ground pilots or control stations for conveying command and control signals, especially in beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) scenarios. On the other hand, because of advances in communication equipment miniaturization as well as UAV manufacturing, mounting compact and lightweight base stations (BSs) or relays on UAVs becomes increasingly feasible. This has led to two promising research paradigms for UAV communications, namely, UAV-assisted cellular communications and cellular-connected UAVs, where UAVs are integrated into cellular networks as aerial communication platforms and aerial users, respectively. As such, integrating UAVs into cellular networks is believed to be a win-win technology for both UAV-related industries and cellular network operators, which not only creates plenty of new business opportunities but also benefits the communication performance of 3-D wireless networks. In addition, UAV related sensing and computing are also helpful for achieving efficient and reliable communication (e.g., in avoiding coverage holes) as well as smart UAV coordination, positioning, and trajectory design. However, 5G and beyond wireless networks with UAVs significantly differs from traditional communication systems, because of the high altitude and high maneuverability of UAVs, the unique UAV-ground channels, the diversified quality of service (QoS) requirements for downlink command and control (C&C) and uplink mission-related data transmission, the stringent constraints imposed by the size, weight, and power (SWAP) limitations of UAVs, as well as the new design degrees of freedom enabled by joint UAV mobility control and communication resource allocation.

As official terms included in the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) documents, archaeological site parks have gradually emphasized the establishment of sustainable management frameworks for archaeological sites open to the public and enhancing public experiences. The management frameworks should be closely related to the goals of the United Nations and other international conventions on sustainable development. However, they lack implementation strategies to promote archaeological site protection and provide responsible tourism. This research adopts a multi-case study approach to analyze the management of representative archaeological site parks in the United States, Japan, and China to develop a framework for the sustainable management of archaeological site parks. Various values, heritage tourism activities, and public perceptions of each park are examined based on cross-case analysis, which identifies principal elements and strategies for the sustainable management of archaeological parks. The principal elements reflect the archaeological parks’ intrinsic value, utility value, and other values. The strategies are closely related to the design of heritage tourism activities and are in alignment with the UN’s sustainable development goals. The theoretical and practical contributions of this research include the reflection and explanation of the sustainable management practices of archaeological site parks in different national and cultural contexts, considering public perceptions. The proposed framework and strategy integrate management guidelines, theoretical knowledge, and practical experience of public archaeological site parks. The outcomes of this research provide a reference for the study of archaeological parks and the management of heritage landscapes.

In early May 2015, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) reported that the 23 sites related to Japan's industrialization in the Meiji period (“Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining”) met the criteria for designation as World Heritage sites. ICOMOS' evaluation paved the way for the sites to be inscribed in the World Heritage list at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany. South Korea voiced its opposition immediately, citing the use of Korean forced labor at 7 of these sites, and criticized Japan's nomination for attempting to obfuscate that history. Seoul demanded that Japan address the use of forced labor at these sites, but Tokyo rejected these calls as “political claims.” Japan and Korea met twice to discuss the issue (on 22 May and 9 June) but failed to reach any agreement. At the same time, Korea's foreign minister met with his counterparts in Germany, Croatia, and Malaysia - all three are members of the 21-member World Heritage Committee - to present Seoul's case against Japan's World Heritage proposal. On 21 June, however, Japanese and Korean foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo announced their agreement to cooperate to ensure the inscription of both Japan's Meiji industrial sites and South Korea's Baekje Historic Area into the World Heritage list at Bonn.

A guideline for assessing of critical parameters on Earth architecture and Earth buildings as a sustainable architecture in various countries

Orthophoto is a part of the process of concept of photogrammetry in map production. Orthophoto image is a specific scaled photographic image produced from perspective images in which distortion errors originating from the attitude differences and the tilt of image are eliminated while orthophoto map is an orthophoto that has cartographic information on it (legend, grids, contours, labels, etc.). The development of current technology has introduced the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as an alternative to conventional photogrammetry in creating orthophoto map. Purpose of this paper is to identify the potential of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as an alternative to conventional photogrammetry which uses aircraft in creating orthophoto map. The area of the study is UniversitiTun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) Pagoh Campus within Pagoh Educational Hub. UAV photogrammetry based on a photogrammetricmeasurement platform, which operates remotely controlled, semi-autonomously, or autonomously, without a pilot sitting in the vehicle. The large format aerial camera in conventional photogrammetry is replaced with small format digital camera in UAV photogrammetry. For general area, the amount of forward overlap and side overlap is 75% and 60% respectively. For forest area, the amount of forward overlap and side overlap is 85% and 70% respectively as the UAV flight altitude will be higher. The whole workflow is introduced in the paper, where 461 images were collected with DJI Phantom 4 Pro with camera model FC6310. The flight mission was completed using PIX4D Capture. An orthophoto map covering an area of 250458 m2 was produced using AgisoftPhotoScan. The result from this study produces a better quality orthophoto map of UTHM Pagoh Campus. This map will shows the overview of the campus area with the most updated information.

<p>3D visualisations –including 3D scans and 3D reconstructions–designed as part of larger archaeology, history or cultural heritage projects are commonly shared with the public through online platforms that were not necessarily designed to host heritage representations and often fail to contextualize them. This paper seeks to evaluate whether five online platforms commonly used today to share 3D visualisations of heritage (Google Arts & Culture, CyArk, 3DHOP, Sketchfab and game engines) offer features that facilitate their scientific rigour and community participation, based on guidelines from International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS)and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). The author starts by summarizing recommendations from 32 international guidelines that are relevant to the 3D visualization of heritage, condensing them into nine key criteria: multi-disciplinary teams, objective-driven methodology and tools, careful documentation, type of reconstruction and level of certainty, authenticity, alternative hypotheses, multiple historical periods, respectful use of the heritage, and community engagement. The author proceeds to review the platforms above comparing their features with these nine recommendations and concludes that, while there are currently available features that could help to elevate the scientific rigour of the 3D visualisations and their contextualization to the public, they are not mandatory and are seldom used. The paper finishes with a recommendation for an information package to support3D visualisations of heritage on public online platforms.</p><p><strong>Highlights:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Online platforms for the 3D visualization of heritage fail to disclose what type of reconstruction it is and its level of certainty, struggling to balance community engagement vs scientific rigour of their contents.</p></li><li><p>ICOMOS and UNESCO recommendations regarding heritage are loosely followed on the reviewed platforms, and supporting documentation is often lacking.</p></li><li><p>Scientific rigour on these platforms could be elevated with supporting textual fields to disclose further information about each visualisation.</p></li></ul>

News

With conceptual roots going back to the first half of the 20th century, the public interpretation and presentation of cultural and archaeological heritage have become essential components in the conservation and protection of cultural heritage values and sites. By the early 21st century, the mechanisms and processes of public interpretation had reached a heightened level of sophistication and effectiveness. In the international arena, many leading organizations have emerged that are carrying the banner of interpretation principles for access, inclusion, and respect for multiple points of view. These principles emphasize the importance of dialogue facilitated by community engagement experts / laypersons, and participation in all phases of program planning, development, and delivery. Conventions and charters have been two of the most used categories of international documents to frame standards and guidelines for cultural and archaeological heritage management and presentation. International documents that specifically addressed the presentation and interpretation of archaeological heritage did not take shape until the late 20th century. The most important international document, to date, relating to interpretation and presentation of archaeological heritage sites is the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Charter on the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites (2008). The charter lays out seven principles of interpretation and presentation about the conservation, education, and stewardship messages that represent the transcendent humanistic values of the resource. The concept of authenticity has become a central concern in the conservation and interpretation of cultural heritage. The Nara Document of 1994 (ICOMOS 1994, cited under Guidelines and Charters) built on the Venice Charter (ICOMOS 1965, cited under Guidelines and Charters), considering an expanding scope of cultural heritage concerns. It addresses the need for a broader understanding of cultural diversity and cultural heritage and underscores the importance of considering the cultural and social values of all societies. It emphasizes respect for other cultures, other values, and the tangible and intangible expressions that form part of the heritage of every culture. The Nara+20 text identifies five key interrelated issues highlighting prioritized actions to be developed and expanded within global, national, and local contexts by wider community and stakeholder involvement: (1) diversity of heritage processes, (2) implications of the evolution of cultural values, (3) involvement of multiple stakeholders, (4) conflicting claims and interpretations, and (5) the role of cultural heritage in sustainable development. The goal of more-inclusive interpretations requires an acceptance of divergent definitions of authenticity that depend on a level of tolerance of multiple definitions of significance with concomitant, objectively derived, assigned, and ascribed heritage values. We can hope that these efforts lead to the recognition of humanistic values that are reflected in cultural heritage narratives and heritage tourism practices as well as site commemoration and protection decisions by controlling authorities.

The international committee for architectural photogrammetry (CIPA) - AIMS, achievements, activities

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) publishes several academic and professional publications, including Heritage at Risk World Reports. These reports examine heritage properties at risk globally, showing the trends and sharing recommendations. The role of local communities (LCs) and local resources (LRs) in safeguarding built heritage in periods following conflict has been highlighted by academics and international organisations. However, there are few research studies examining the indicators of the roles of LCs and LRs, which can depict the priorities in such circumstances. A systematic review (analysis) of this ICOMOS publication in a post-conflict context has yet to be undertaken. This method is utilised to identify key indicators of both elements in the context of post-conflict safeguarding of built heritage. The systematic review using content analysis and keyword frequency classified 69 post-conflict cases (countries) and identified significant LC and LR indicators. The findings reveal that the community’s awareness of built heritage and the availability of local experts are the most significant indicators for the LC and LRs, respectively. Both the LC and LR roles have a strong correlation in periods following conflicts. In addition, within the ICOMOS reports, results show a growing emphasis on post-conflict situations since the first volume. This study contributes to providing a shared vision regarding the roles that LCs and LRs can play in safeguarding built heritage following conflicts. Through analysing related policy documents, future research could investigate a policy-led perspective for safeguarding built heritage following conflicts.

13th International symposium on Architectural Photogrammetry: October 23rd–26th 1990, Cracow Poland