Close-range photogrammetry as a reference method for making detailed all-level excavation plans

A.V. Starovoytov*, I.Yu. Chernova**

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: *aldanstar@gmail.com, **inna.chernova@kpfu.ru

Received February 18, 2019

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DOI: 10.26907/2542-064X.2020.2.314-330

For citation: Starovoytov A.V., Chernova I.Yu. Close-range photogrammetry as a reference method for making detailed all-level excavation plans. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Estestvennye Nauki, 2020, vol. 162, no. 2, pp. 314–330. doi: 10.26907/2542-064X.2020.2.314-330. (In Russian)

Abstract

One of the major problems that archaeology faces today is that the traditional (“manual”) methods of archaeological field data classification and archiving fail to meet the modern requirements in the context of accuracy and convenience. In this study, we assessed the utility of standard photogrammetry for creating excavation plans, as well as developed and tested new methods. All works were performed at the excavation sites of Bolghar, an ancient town in Tatarstan (Russia). The excavations varied in size and depth.

The standard methods were found to often yield improper results for the following reasons: the common methods used for obtaining images and processing photo scenes are unsuitable for producing three-dimensional models of archaeological objects without information loss or distortions; photo shooting appears rather haphazard in many cases.

Three new photogrammetric methods were proposed: perspective route photo shooting; the method of fixed angles; suborthogonal photo shooting around the perimeter. The effectiveness of the new methods was assessed. Recommendations on their use were given.

Based on the results of the study, we concluded that various photogrammetric methods are required to produce highly accurate plans of excavations with different dimensions and shapes. In order to obtain the best result, integration of these methods is required in many cases. Close-range photogrammetry may come in useful if high-precision geodetic equipment is unavailable. Orthophotomaps are less precise than GNSS-based plans, but much more accurate than manual sketches.

The results obtained during this study are important for the development of field archaeology. The recommendations given in this paper can be used by archaeologists in their daily work. Compliance with these recommendations guarantees high-precision excavation plans. It is expected that the proposed methodology will become the basis for instructions on arrangement of archaeological excavations in the very near future.

Keywords: close-range photogrammetry, terrestrial photogrammetry, methodology, method, excavation site, Bolghar

Acknowledgments. The study was supported by the Regional Foundation for Rebuilding the Republic of Historical and Cultural Monuments in the Republic of Tatarstan, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (project no. 02.G25.31.0170), as well as by the Russian Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University.

Figure Captions

Fig. 1. Location of the studied territory and target excavations.

Fig. 2. Photo-shooting scenarios from the Agisoft PhotoScan User Guide [13]: a) photographing a two-dimensional object (such as a wall); b) interior shooting; c) photographing detached objects (findings, sculptures) or constructions (buildings).

Fig. 3. Changes in the image resolution with distance from the shooting point: a) a photo taken during the photogrammetric measurement of excavation site CCII(202) (2014) at the continent level; b) perspective transformation of the photo in GIS.

Fig. 4. Examples of distortions in the image of excavation walls caused by parallel shooting (1 – walls of the virtual excavation model resulting from the incorrect choice of shooting technique; 2 – actual geometry of the excavation in the plan).

Fig. 5. Schemes of using the methods of perspective route photo shooting (a) and fixed angles (b) (1 – excavation objects, 2 – photographed surface, 3 – position and direction of shooting inside the excavation site, 4 – direction of operator movement, 5 – alternative variant of shooting from the edge).

Fig. 6. Examples of orthophotomap (a) and vector image (b) of human remains. Isolines and relief shading (b) obtained from the DTM of burial no. 3, excavation site CCII(202). Bolghar settlement, 2014. Three-dimensional arrows indicate camera position and shooting directions.

Fig. 7. Orthophotomaps obtained by the method of fixed angles and the planography of excavation sites CCII(202) (on the left) and CCIII(203) (on the right) at the continent level. Bolghar settlement, 2014.

Fig. 8. Orthophotomaps of excavation site CLXXIV(174) (excavation director I.I. Elkina) obtained by using various equipment types and methods: a) shooting with mobile devices by the central axis method; b) shooting with a SLR camera using the central axis method; c) shooting with a SLR camera using the method of perspective route photo shooting.

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