Image-based underwater 3D reconstruction for Cultural Heritage: from image collection to 3D. Critical steps and considerations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the process of creating detailed 3D models of underwater Cultural Heritage sites using image-based photogrammetry, highlighting critical steps and considerations for effective documentation and preservation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the entire underwater 3D reconstruction workflow, emphasizing key techniques and challenges specific to submerged environments.

Findings

Optical sensors and photogrammetry are effective for detailed underwater 3D modeling.

Color restoration and enhancement improve model accuracy.

Critical steps include data acquisition, processing, SfM, and MVS.

Abstract

Underwater Cultural Heritage (CH) sites are widely spread; from ruins in coastlines up to shipwrecks in deep. The documentation and preservation of this heritage is an obligation of the mankind, dictated also by the international treaties like the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Her-itage which fosters the use of "non-destructive techniques and survey meth-ods in preference over the recovery of objects". However, submerged CH lacks in protection and monitoring in regards to the land CH and nowadays recording and documenting, for digital preservation as well as dissemination through VR to wide public, is of most importance. At the same time, it is most difficult to document it, due to inherent restrictions posed by the environ-ment. In order to create high detailed textured 3D models, optical sensors and photogrammetric techniques seems to be the best solution. This chapter dis-cusses critical aspects of all phases of image based underwater 3D reconstruc-tion process, from data acquisition and data preparation using colour restora-tion and colour enhancement algorithms to Structure from Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) techniques to produce an accurate, precise and complete 3D model for a number of applications.