Abstract:
Many archeological sites have been destroyed totally or partially around the
globe due to earth quakes,
oods and/or re. It is the need of time to digi-
tally preserve the historical sites before they get destroyed. Acquiring visual
and digital data of such historical sites using conventional methods poses
challenges due to di culty in accessing these sites owing to their location
and neighborhood. Recent innovations in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
have enabled to remotely sense and acquire data using aerial imagery. In this
research photogrammetry is used to develop highly accurate photo realistic
3D models of archeological sites.
Using aerial data acquired from a low cost and light weight UAV equipped
with high resolution RGB sensor and image processing using photogramme-
try tools highly accurate 3D model of an archeological site is formed. The
main goals of this study were to conduct survey of a historical site in Pak-
istan utilizing advanced robotics and photogrammetry stitching techniques to
investigate the potential of UAV in producing geo-referenced 3D reconstruc-
tion. The study is carried out to achieve an accuracy of within 5cm/pixel of
the 3D model. The digitally preserved 3D models will help in both maintain-
ing the historical site as well as reconstructing it in case of any damage. The
3D model produced can be quickly produced for inventory, architectural and
facility management system. This method contributes in terms of quality,
time and investment to acquire data compared to other methods which de-
mand more time and investment. The automated
ight stability and altitude
control of the UAV and the fully stabilized and calibrated RGB sensor was
optimally utilized for seeking high quality data that provided reliable results.
