Kite Aerial Photography:3-DLinks

There are some intriguing items on the internet relating to 3D KAP (and ground-contour mapping - see DEM / DTM). This is particularly useful in archaeology but it has many other potential uses. Some relevant websites are listed above but the software can be expensive and technically demanding. Nearer to home, here in Scotland, James Gentles (2) and Simon Harbord have also investigated 3D techniques.

If the recent trends in radar-on-a-chip technology are reflected in the development of Lidar ( 1, 2 , 3, 4) equipment, much more compact systems may not be that far away but expense may continue to be an issue for both hardware and software. Computer / machine vision is a rapidly developing field and the use of cameras directly controlled by computers/FPGAs may find a wider use in KAP. Time-of-flight cameras are an interesting development.

A multi-disciplinary approach to archaeological photography is particularly productive as further illustrated by the archaeological, ground-based remote sensing systems (GBRS) developed by Christopher Brooke in the Departments of Archaeology, History, and Physics at the University of Nottingham since1983.

The Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society is the UK’s leading Society for remote sensing and photogrammetry and their application to education, science, research, industry, commerce and the public service. There is an Archaeology Special Interest Group.

The international Aerial Archaeology Research Group also provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information for all those actively involved in aerial photography.

Digital Past: New Technologies in Heritage, Interpretation and Outreach presented by RCAHMW, sponsored by See3D Ltd at The Visualisation Centre, Penglais Campus, University of Aberystwyth, Wales, February 2009
Seminar Aims: 'to guide heritage managers, education and outreach officers, and museum and local government officers...through some of the newest technologies available for researching and promoting heritage sites' 'to introduce a wide range of digital techniques for 3-dimensional data capture including LiDAR and laser scanning' as well as other sources 'used to create effective visualisations including 2-dimensional plans and elevations and photographs' to look 'at the range of 3-dimensional visualisations that can be produced from photo-realistic representation, archaeological interpretation and reconstruction on different scales' to explore 'the options available for making digital outputs accessible to the public including websites, PDAs and e-trails'
PRESENTATIONS Session One: 3D Animation and Imaging in Heritage Interpretation: 'The uses of 3D visualisation for interpretation, outreach and educational purposes, the range of material suitable for creating 3D visualisations (3D survey, archive drawings, photographs), differing scales of visualisations from 3D animations, different forms of visualisation.' Dr Tom Bartlett (See3D Ltd): Heritage Visualisation through Animation Susan Fielding (RCAHMW): 'Digital Magic': 3D Visualisation for the Interpretation of Archaeological Sites and Historic Buildings Chris Martin (Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust): The Romans in mid-Wales - Real-time VR in the Caersws Basin Paul Bryan (English Heritage): The Role of Metric Survey within Heritage Interpretation Session Two: Remote Sensing, Laser Scanning, LiDAR and GIS: 'Laser scanning and LiDAR compared to other methods of digital survey, sources of LiDAR information, outputs - point clouds, surface modelling, solid modelling - and the difficulties involved, examples of LiDAR survey in Wales.' Paul Cripps (Wessex Archaeology): Survey in the New Millennium; Tools for the 21st Century Archaeologist Anthony Corns (The Discovery Programme): High Resolution LiDAR for the Recording of Archaeological Monuments and Landscapes Dr James Brasington (IGES, University of Aberystwyth): Terrestrial Laser Scanning: Opportunities and Challenges for Quantifying the Natural and Built Environment Jacob Norton (See3D Ltd): Uses and Limitations of GIS within Heritage Visualisation Session Three: Combining Technologies: 'E-trails and the combination of geographical and historical data with web technology for outreach and educational purposes.' Tom Pert (RCAHMW): Trails, Trials and Tribulations; Combining Technologies to Deliver Heritage Interpretation Siobhan McConnachie (RCAHMS): Information Wanted! Encouraging the Public to Share their Knowledge with RCAHMS Fiona Gale (Heather and Hillforts): 'Hanging on the Telephone': Integrating Modern Interpretive Technologies into a Landscape Scale Project