Photogrammetry and GIS to investigate modern landscape change in an early Roman colonial territory in Molise (Italy)

Authors

  • Manuel J. H. Peters Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, ItalyDepartment of History, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1997-3825
  • Tesse D. Stek Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, Via Omero 10/12, 00197 Roma, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21014/actaimeko.v11i4.1284

Keywords:

photogrammetry, GIS, landscape change, Mediterranean archaeology, survey archaeology

Abstract

Legacy data in the form of historical aerial imagery can be used to investigate geomorphological change over time. This data can be used to improve research about the preservation and visibility of the archaeological record, and it can also aid heritage management. This paper presents a composite Image-Based Modelling workflow to generate 3D models, historical orthophotos, and historical digital elevation models from images from the 1970s. This was done to improve the interpretation of survey data from the early Roman colony of Aesernia. The main challenge was the lack of high-resolution recent digital elevation models and ground control points, and a general lack of metadata. Therefore, spatial data from various sources had to be combined. To assess the accuracy of the final 3D model, the RMSE was calculated. While the workflow appears effective, the low accuracy of the initial data limits the usefulness of the model for the study of geomorphological change. However, it can be implemented to aid sample area selection when preparing archaeological fieldwork. Additionally, when working with existing survey datasets, areas with a high bias risk resulting from post-depositional processes can be indicated.

Downloads

Published

2022-12-21

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 4 (2022)

Section

Research Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Manuel J. H. Peters, Tesse D. Stek

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Users are free to

  • share, i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially;
  • adapt, i.e. remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

At the same time, the user must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
Additional information about the license can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Authors are

  • able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).