**5. Documentation of cultural heritage sites using remote sensing techniques, GIS and laser scanning**

Contemporary techniques and methods such as computer graphics, virtual reality, multime‐ dia technology, and information technology can be integrated in Web GIS technologies, in order to act as a uniform digital tool for documentation, protection and preservation of cul‐ tural heritage (Agapiou et al., 2010c; Hadjimitsis et al., 2006). In order to document and map known archaeological sites and monuments, several techniques may be used, including la‐ ser scanning, 3D modelling and GIS. In this section, applications from several monuments in Cyprus are presented.

### **5.1. Integrated use of GIS and remote sensing: a pilot application at the archaeological sites of Paphos**

of the monument, chronology etc). In this way, further spatial analysis can be performed

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For each monument listed by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus (200 monuments be‐ longing to the Paphos district), the relative sheet plan was found and digitized. All monu‐ ments were georeferenced in a common geodetic system (WGS 84, 36N) (Figure 17). The overall map created (Figure 18), can assist risk assessment analysis. Such kind of an integrat‐ ed CHM/GIS system has been recently implemented to be used for the efficient manipula‐ tion of information regarding the ancient monuments and movable antiquities of Cyprus

(Figure 16).

(Kydonakis et al 2012).

**Figure 17.** Example of the mapping procedure using the GIS software.

**Figure 18.** Archaeological sites and monuments of the Paphos District.

Local cadastral maps were used to support the documentation of cultural heritage sites in the Paphos district, SW Cyprus. In general, each monument may be located in a different sheet /plan; therefore, spatial analysis from such data is a very difficult task.

In order to overcome such limitations, a GIS geodatabase was developed using the ArcGIS 10 software. A GIS system is a computer system (software) that collects, stores, manages, an‐ alyzes and visualizes spatial information and upgrades to other information systems. There‐ fore, GIS can be used as a tool for modelling and analysis of complex research and as a system that supports decision making. Important advantages of GIS include: (a) The data can be stored in a small digital space, (b) Both the storage and the recovery can be achieved with lower costs than traditional ways, (c) Analysis can be carried out much faster, (d) GIS allow synthetic analysis of data without any particular problems and (e) GIS offers the digi‐ tal environment for an integrated process, where the collection, analysis and decision proc‐ ess are in a continuous flow.

**Figure 16.** Methodology of mapping the archaeological sites

The most important advantage of the GIS environment is that it can connect both spatial in‐ formation (e.g. place, coordinates) along with a-spatial (non-spatial) information (e.g. type of the monument, chronology etc). In this way, further spatial analysis can be performed (Figure 16).

For each monument listed by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus (200 monuments be‐ longing to the Paphos district), the relative sheet plan was found and digitized. All monu‐ ments were georeferenced in a common geodetic system (WGS 84, 36N) (Figure 17). The overall map created (Figure 18), can assist risk assessment analysis. Such kind of an integrat‐ ed CHM/GIS system has been recently implemented to be used for the efficient manipula‐ tion of information regarding the ancient monuments and movable antiquities of Cyprus (Kydonakis et al 2012).

**Figure 17.** Example of the mapping procedure using the GIS software.

**5.1. Integrated use of GIS and remote sensing: a pilot application at the archaeological**

sheet /plan; therefore, spatial analysis from such data is a very difficult task.

Local cadastral maps were used to support the documentation of cultural heritage sites in the Paphos district, SW Cyprus. In general, each monument may be located in a different

In order to overcome such limitations, a GIS geodatabase was developed using the ArcGIS 10 software. A GIS system is a computer system (software) that collects, stores, manages, an‐ alyzes and visualizes spatial information and upgrades to other information systems. There‐ fore, GIS can be used as a tool for modelling and analysis of complex research and as a system that supports decision making. Important advantages of GIS include: (a) The data can be stored in a small digital space, (b) Both the storage and the recovery can be achieved with lower costs than traditional ways, (c) Analysis can be carried out much faster, (d) GIS allow synthetic analysis of data without any particular problems and (e) GIS offers the digi‐ tal environment for an integrated process, where the collection, analysis and decision proc‐

The most important advantage of the GIS environment is that it can connect both spatial in‐ formation (e.g. place, coordinates) along with a-spatial (non-spatial) information (e.g. type

**sites of Paphos**

76 Remote Sensing of Environment: Integrated Approaches

ess are in a continuous flow.

**Figure 16.** Methodology of mapping the archaeological sites

**Figure 18.** Archaeological sites and monuments of the Paphos District.

#### **5.2. Terrestrial laser scanning for documentation, reconstruction and cultural heritage structural integrity**

3D digital "light" models of the monuments, produced in Google SketchUp software, af‐ ter applying topometric methods for measurements. Moreover, the application includes non-spatial information about the monuments, such as relevant bibliography, photos of the interior and exterior of the monuments and also audiovisual data. Finally, this digital tool provides to the end-users a brief, time-stamped, historical background information about the Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments of central Cyprus (www.byzantine‐

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**Figure 20.** Mesh documentation of the interior of the *Tomb I, Tombs of the Kings* archaeological site.

**Figure 21.** Monitoring the crack (see square in the first image from the left) of the background of the fresco at Saint

Kirikos and Ioulitis through Laser Scanners (Agapiou et al., 2010b).

cyprus.com).

Due to their high data acquisition rate, relatively high accuracy and high spatial data densi‐ ty, terrestrial laser scanners are increasingly being used for cultural heritage recording, ar‐ chitectural documentation studies, research of cultural heritage with photogrammetric methods and engineering applications that demand high spatial resolution. Terrestrial laser scanning process can be considered as a part of remote sensing methods. In this section, the results from three different cases studies are presented: *Saint Theodore, Tomb I* at the *Tombs of the Kings* and the *Church of Kyrikos and Ioulitis*

For the documentation of the church of *Saint Theodore* in Idalion village, central Cyprus, the 3D laser scanner Leica C10 was used (Figure 19). Pre-processing of the point clouds was per‐ formed at the Cyclone software. The latest includes the noise removal of the initial point clouds and the registration using scan targets (Agapiou et al., 2010b).

**Figure 19.** Data collection from the church of *Saint Theodore* in Idalion village (left). Registration of the point clouds for *Saint Theodore* in Idalion village. All point clouds are transformed into one coordinate system (right) (Agapiou et al., 2010b).

A single scan station was also used for the interior of the *Tomb I*, located at the *Tombs of the Kings,* archaeological site. The data were then processed at the Cyclone software. The initial point cloud of the Tomb I was further analysed and a 3D mesh was finally created (Figure 20). Using the 3D mesh several sections can be drawn in order to study in detail the architecture of *Tomb I.*

The third example is the *Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis* church. Specific laser scans were acquired from the exterior and the interior of the church. The use of laser scanner can provide accu‐ rate geometric documentation of such buildings through time and monitor them. One such example is the crack presented in the background of fresco of Christ in the church of Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis (Figure 21). Repeated accurate measurements of the order of magnitude of a few mm can identify if the crack is gradually increasing in size.

The combination of 3D model and WebGIS applications was also presented by Agapiou et al., (2010c). The "Digital Atlas of Byzantine and Post Byzantines churches" application consists of a WebGIS tool, using the ArcGIS Server software. The WebGIS includes a de‐ tail 3D reconstruction of the surrounding area of the monuments using grayscale high resolution orthophotos, a digital elevation model (DEM) of a high accuracy of (± 2m) and 3D digital "light" models of the monuments, produced in Google SketchUp software, af‐ ter applying topometric methods for measurements. Moreover, the application includes non-spatial information about the monuments, such as relevant bibliography, photos of the interior and exterior of the monuments and also audiovisual data. Finally, this digital tool provides to the end-users a brief, time-stamped, historical background information about the Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments of central Cyprus (www.byzantine‐ cyprus.com).

**5.2. Terrestrial laser scanning for documentation, reconstruction and cultural heritage**

Due to their high data acquisition rate, relatively high accuracy and high spatial data densi‐ ty, terrestrial laser scanners are increasingly being used for cultural heritage recording, ar‐ chitectural documentation studies, research of cultural heritage with photogrammetric methods and engineering applications that demand high spatial resolution. Terrestrial laser scanning process can be considered as a part of remote sensing methods. In this section, the results from three different cases studies are presented: *Saint Theodore, Tomb I* at the *Tombs of*

For the documentation of the church of *Saint Theodore* in Idalion village, central Cyprus, the 3D laser scanner Leica C10 was used (Figure 19). Pre-processing of the point clouds was per‐ formed at the Cyclone software. The latest includes the noise removal of the initial point

**Figure 19.** Data collection from the church of *Saint Theodore* in Idalion village (left). Registration of the point clouds for *Saint Theodore* in Idalion village. All point clouds are transformed into one coordinate system (right) (Agapiou et

A single scan station was also used for the interior of the *Tomb I*, located at the *Tombs of the Kings,* archaeological site. The data were then processed at the Cyclone software. The initial point cloud of the Tomb I was further analysed and a 3D mesh was finally created (Figure 20). Using the 3D mesh several sections can be drawn in order to study in detail the architecture of *Tomb I.*

The third example is the *Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis* church. Specific laser scans were acquired from the exterior and the interior of the church. The use of laser scanner can provide accu‐ rate geometric documentation of such buildings through time and monitor them. One such example is the crack presented in the background of fresco of Christ in the church of Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis (Figure 21). Repeated accurate measurements of the order of magnitude

The combination of 3D model and WebGIS applications was also presented by Agapiou et al., (2010c). The "Digital Atlas of Byzantine and Post Byzantines churches" application consists of a WebGIS tool, using the ArcGIS Server software. The WebGIS includes a de‐ tail 3D reconstruction of the surrounding area of the monuments using grayscale high resolution orthophotos, a digital elevation model (DEM) of a high accuracy of (± 2m) and

clouds and the registration using scan targets (Agapiou et al., 2010b).

of a few mm can identify if the crack is gradually increasing in size.

**structural integrity**

al., 2010b).

*the Kings* and the *Church of Kyrikos and Ioulitis*

78 Remote Sensing of Environment: Integrated Approaches

**Figure 20.** Mesh documentation of the interior of the *Tomb I, Tombs of the Kings* archaeological site.

**Figure 21.** Monitoring the crack (see square in the first image from the left) of the background of the fresco at Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis through Laser Scanners (Agapiou et al., 2010b).

**Figure 22.** Models for Byzantine and Post Byzantine churches of Cyprus using topometric measurements and GIS tools (Agapiou et al., 2010c).

**Figure 24.** Visual comparison of the ultrasonic measurements and close range photographs. The polygons are drawn

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In terms of ground based remote sensing, there is a wide range of surveying techniques that are focus targeted towards the shallow or medium mapping of the subsurface antiquities or even of the deeper geological layers that may have covered the cultural strata. The various methods, in‐ cluding magnetometry, soil resistance or electromagnetic methods (EM), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and seismic, are based on the measurement of different physical quantities and the complementary application of them (the manifold approach) produces datasets that can match each other and maximize the information content of the geophysical interpretation (Sar‐ ris, 2012). Depending on the method and the configuration of the techniques, it is also possible to have different penetration depths and operation in diverse environmental settings (rural or urban) to address a various topics related to the mapping of archaeological sites and archaeoenvironment, the preservation of monuments, e.t.c. Geophysical approaches can be applied in planned excavations, rescue archaeology, archaeolandscape studies, building conservation

In general, magnetic techniques using the measurement of the total geo-magnetic field in‐ tensity or of the gradient of it or one of its components can be helpful in identifying architec‐ tural relics or residues of habitation and workshop activities. Magnetometry techniques have been successfully used to map the relics of settlements and reveal the town planning system. Mud brick foundations of Late Neolithic houses together with pits and other details were recorded around the tell of *Sceghalom-Kovácshalom* in E. Hungary. The organic material gathered in the pits was responsible for the enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility, re‐ sulting in the good registration of the pits from the measurements of the vertical magnetic gradient. Even stronger was the magnetic signature of the foundations of the fired daub foundations and walls of the farmsteads that were recorded as thermal targets, but which at the same time were not able to register to the GPR measurements due to the high conductiv‐

**6. Geophysical prospection techniques: From mapping to CRM**

and cultural resources management (Sarris & Jones 2000).

as common areas for each set of figures.

Moreover, laser scanners can be used for monitoring purposes as shown by Themistocleous et al., (2012a). In order to monitor the effects of air pollution, the Limassol Castle is being documented every year with the 3D laser scanner. Areas of the castle which show deteriora‐ tion on the 3D laser scanner will have samples taken to determine the chemical analysis of the surface to establish if the deterioration was caused by air pollution or natural causes. Photographs of the castle were also taken and applied to the 3D laser scanned point cloud. A direct visual comparison between the intensity of the laser scanner and close range photo‐ graphs of the cracks in the Limassol Castle indicate that observation of intensity values can indicate the presence -or not- of possible cracks in the monument. (Figures 23 and 24). Simi‐ lar conclusions can be drawn when laser scanner intensity is compared with ultrasonic measurements.

**Figure 23.** Visual comparison of the laser intensity and close range photographs near a crack

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**Figure 24.** Visual comparison of the ultrasonic measurements and close range photographs. The polygons are drawn as common areas for each set of figures.
