2D/3D DOCUMENTATION AND MULTISPECTRAL IMAGING LABORATORY
The 2D/3D Documentation and Multispectral Imaging Lab was established in 2017 as a part of the Andreas Pittas Art Characterization Labs (APAC) of the Cyprus Institute. It is mainly devoted to the application of digital methods for the study and analysis of heritage assets at different scale and resolution. The Lab is equipped with a wide array of state‐of‐the‐art portable devices for advanced diagnostics, study and analysis of artefacts in the visible and non-visible spectra. The established multidisciplinary approach, which features expertise from different background, help to address the major questions raised by the materiality of Cultural Heritage artefacts in terms of their genesis, manufacturing processes, alterations, conservation and preservation.
The research focuses on four thematic areas:
• Digitization: state-of-the-art image- and range-based equipment, coupled with topographic and geodetic devices, is used for the digitization of heritage and archaeological sites, both for documentation and preservation purposes.
• Visualization: the digitized heritage assets, enriched by semantic, metadata, are structured and organized in a rich interactive database which can be exploited by professionals, local authorities, researchers and academia.
• Analysis: historical buildings, archaeological sites and artefacts are analyzed using sophisticated devices which can highlight features not visible to the naked eye.
• Safeguard: fast deployment on the field, in connection with local authorities, of high skilled personnel and instrumentations for the documentation of sites threatened by natural disasters and human-made actions.
Among the highlights of APAC Labs work are the 3D documentation and visualization of the Othello Tower in Famagusta, an invited research activity led by UNDP and in collaboration with the Virtual Environments Lab (STARC), and the documentation and visualization of the Troodos Churches in the context of the IHAT and TREE projects (funded by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation). APAC laboratories’ have pursued the documentation of archaeological sites in Jerusalem and Alexandria, as well as in Larnaca and Agia Napa, Pyla in collaboration with the Cyprus Institute’s Unmanned Systems Research Laboratory. The 3D visualization of the Nicosia cathedral of St. John was used to study aspects of its state of preservation, to simulate the visitor’s experience and to analyze its structural stability in collaboration with the University of Catania and the Polytechnic of Milano.The 3D documentation, analysis and representation of archaeological objects like ancient cylinder seals, tools and vessels helps to understand their particular use through three-dimensional simulation and visualization.
Furthermore, the 3D digital restoration of objects which did not survive intact can offer a valuable visualization tool that allows archaeologists to reconstruct these particular artefacts. The use of APAC Labs’ integrated research pipeline is particularly important in the study artefacts, among them coroplastic works, shedding light on their chaîne opératoire meaning their operational sequence, the modes of their production, technique, raw materials and final use.
The 2D/3D Documentation and Multi-spectral Imaging Lab of APAC Labs features state of the art scientific devices used to holistically analyze and investigate cultural heritage exploiting a multi-scale and multi-resolution approach. It includes a Terrestrial Laser Scanner, a Structured Light 3D Scanner, a set of topographic and imaging equipment such as a GNSS, a Total Station and DSRL Cameras.
• 3D Structured Light Scanner SmartScan3D-HE 5 Mpx
• Terrestrial Laser Scanner Surphaser25HSX
• GNSS System Leica Viva
• Total Station Leica TS-11
• 3D Triangulation Laser Scanner NextEngine
• IRR Camera Osiris & Accessories
• Reflectance Transformation Imaging System
• Large Format camera
