Abstract:Satellite remote sensing provides a powerful instrument for mapping and monitoring traces of historical settlements and infrastructure, not only in distant areas and crisis regions. It helps archaeologists to embed their findings from field surveys into the broader context of the landscape. With the start of the TanDEM-X mission, spatially explicit 3D-information is available to researchers at an unprecedented resolution worldwide. We examined different experimental TanDEM-X digital elevation models (DEM) that were processed from two different imaging modes (Stripmap/High Resolution Spotlight) using the operational alternating bistatic acquisition mode. The quality and accuracy of the experimental DEM products was compared to other available DEM products and a high precision archaeological field survey. The results indicate the potential of TanDEM-X Stripmap (SM) data for mapping surface elements at regional scale. For the alluvial plain of Cilicia, a suspected palaeochannel could be reconstructed. At the local scale, DEM products from TanDEM-X High Resolution Spotlight (HS) mode were processed at 2 m spatial resolution using a merge of two monostatic/bistatic OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2014, 6 9476 interferograms. The absolute and relative vertical accuracy of the outcome meet the specification of high resolution elevation data (HRE) standards from the National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) at the HRE20 level.

A photogrammetric method is presented for mapping rock outcrops and other objects in the field. Special attention was paid to simplifying the workflow and to minimising extra bulk and weight of the required equipment while maximising the accuracy of the survey. The minimum equipment needed for the surveys added less than 0·5 kg to the backpack of a field scientist, or as little as 0·2 kg assuming that a suitable camera was already part of the typical equipment carried in the field. Data acquisition in the field took less than 15 min, while image orientation and preparation for stereoviewing took less than 30 min even for a user with little training. Best results were accomplished taking two convergent images as well as three images parallel to the object of interest. Two test sites were surveyed with the method, covering volumes of 3·5 × 5 × 3 m3 and 18 × 20 × 5 m3, to identify the most accurate adjustment method. The maximum length measurement error (LME) was calculated for 28 and 78 distances in the smaller and larger volume, respectively, based on a comparison of the photogrammetric survey with an independent total station survey of the same signalised points. The maximum LME ranged between 0·005 and 0·002 m for the first test site where three cameras were tested, and was 0·021 m for the larger test site where only one camera was tested. The rmse values of the LMEs ranged between 0·003 and 0·001 m for the first and 0·010 m for the second test site, respectively. The smallest and lightest camera, a Ricoh GR Digital, yielded the most accurate results in object space when interior orientation was calibrated on the job. The Sigma SD14 did not require on‐the‐job calibration for accurate results and was the camera with the best geometric stability. The third camera evaluated, a Rollei d7 metric5, also yielded good results, but could not deliver the extra value that would be expected from a metric camera designed for photogrammetric surveys.

Abstract:The fertile alluvial plain of Cilicia is bordered by the Taurus and Amanus mountain ranges to the west, north and east and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Since the Neolithic Period, Plain Cilicia was an important interface between Anatolia and the Levant. The alluvial plain is dominated by three rivers: Tarsus, Seyhan and Ceyhan. The avulsion history of the lower course of the rivers Seyhan and Ceyhan during the Holocene remains an unresolved issue. The knowledge about how former river courses have changed is essential for the identification of ancient toponyms with archaeological sites. The analysis of silted up riverbeds based on high-resolution digital elevation models (TanDEM-X) and historic satellite imagery (CORONA) in this paper provide the first indications for the reconstruction of former river channels. Further evidence is given by the evaluation of the settlement patterns from 3rd to 1st millennium BC.

ABSTRACT:The paper presents an investigation about the combination of multispectral and 3D imaging aiming at the analysis of the condition and preservation of an ancient vase. Visible-reflected (VIS) and -induced luminescence (UVL) images are mapped to 3D models produced with image-and range-based 3D modelling techniques. The case study is an Attic vase, part of the pottery collection of the Landesmuseum Rudolfinum (Carinthia, Austria) and temporarily stored in the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Graz, Austria. The aim of this study is to exploit the added-value provided by mapping multispectral imaging onto 3D geometry for a comprehensive knowledge of the condition of a restored Cultural Heritage (CH) item.

ABSTRACT:Consecrated in 1297 as the monastery church of the four years earlier founded St. Catherine's monastery, the Gothic Church of St. Catherine was largely destroyed in a devastating bombing raid on January 2 nd 1945. To counteract the process of disintegration, the departments of geo-information and lower monument protection authority of the City of Nuremburg decided to getting done a three dimensional building model of the Church of St. Catherine's. A heterogeneous set of data was used for preparation of a parametric architectural model. In effect the modeling of historic buildings can profit from the so called BIM method (Building Information Modeling), as the necessary structuring of the basic data renders it into very sustainable information. The resulting model is perfectly suited to deliver a vivid impression of the interior and exterior of this former mendicant orders' church to present observers.