Semantic Enrichment of Geographic Data and 3D Models for the Management of Archaeological Features

Abstract

The present paper describes various technologies to link semantic information to 3D models during the process of management of 3D data and geometries used by the archaeologists for the reconstruction of ancient monuments or sites. This is an important requirement for the purposes of modern research since, although we have a lot of good 3D models of topographic objects, it is often difficult to make computers aware of the nature of the related real object (buildings, sites or landscapes) or parts of them (e.g. a column capitel and its various elements). The same difficulties occur when it is necessary to link geographic information to 3D models or to deal with metadata and annotations concerning the same elements, for which semantic technologies are required. We propose a possible way to integrate 3D data in a geographic environment and in addition to enrich 3D models by providing a set of semantic descriptions for each geometrical component of a given object, extended with semantic annotations of the model as a whole or of specific parts of it. The proposed technology is based on the use of various standards, including GML and one of its application schema, CityGML, specifically designed for the representation of 3D urban objects, and CIDOC-CRM, the cultural heritage ontology suitable for every non-structural description of each topograhic object or building, including temporal entities (events).