M. Schaich
(ArcTron Ltd., Altenthann, Germany)
The deployment of innovative modern surveying technologies such as 3D laser scanning and 3D stripe-light scanning yields new technical possibilities for generating three dimensional, accurate recordings of archaeological excavations, listed buildings and monuments, artefacts and finds. These technologies naturally create new opportunities for data recovery of endangered heritage monuments and in general for the digital securing of cultural heritage.
During the lecture we will discuss the limitations and potential of the employment of modern 3D scanning technologies on archaeological excavations and in finds documentation. The consistent use of these technologies in archaeological excavation documentation enables us to achieve a completely new level of documentation quality. Excavations, in all their various phases as well as other objects can be precisely and photo-realistically represented on computer in three dimensions. Scientists using a system such as this can access the documented objects in 3D. The lecture is based on varied practical projects ranging from large area topographical recordings and the documentation of complex archaeological excavations to detailed, high-resolution finds recordings. These projects were all carried out in recent years by ArcTron Ltd., a German company specialising in 3D surveying and software development for Archaeology and Heritage. During our work in this fields we have successfully created highly-detailed documentation of listed buildings, sites of historical interest, excavation sectors, skeletons, historical works of art and standard objects. The technologies involved are becoming increasingly efficient and user-friendly thanks to the development of new software modules which are specifically optimised for this kind of documentation. These technological advances result in a multitude of new prospects in scientific data processing of three dimensional heritage evidence.