Diagnostic utilisation of ground based imaging and non-imaging sensors for digital documentation of heritage sites

Abstract

Historical buildings are essential elements of cultural heritage. Built-up heritage is subjected to various damages over a long period of time, and it is, therefore, necessary to document such monuments by using multiple sensors, which are not only efficient but also non-complicated and effortless in terms of data acquisition and handling. Complete documentation of the monument involves recognition and mapping of such damages, if present. As the monuments are of considerable sizes and sometimes not easily accessible, recording and mapping of the damages by manual methods is both time-consuming and costly. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), combined with terrestrial images, can be used to document and map damages of the monuments. The present work demonstrates the practical application of TLS in the documentation of heritage monuments with a focus on damage detection using TLS point clouds and terrestrial optical data.