Papers by Lorenzo Teppati Losè
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is nowadays a standard approach in several application... more The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is nowadays a standard approach in several application fields. Researches connected with these systems cover several topics and the evolution of these platforms and their applications are rapidly growing. Despite the high level of automatization reached nowadays, there is still a phase of the overall UAVs’ photogrammetric pipeline that requires a high effort in terms of time and resources (i.e., the georeferencing phase). However, thanks to the availability of survey-grade GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers embedded in the aerial platforms, it is possible to also enhance this phase of the processing by adopting direct georeferencing approaches (i.e., without using any ground control point and exploiting real time kinematic (RTK) positioning). This work investigates the possibilities offered by a multirotor commercial system equipped with a RTK-enabled GNSS receiver, focusing on the accuracy of the georeferencing phase. Seve...
Remote Sensing
Low-cost and fast surveying approaches are increasingly being deployed in several domains, includ... more Low-cost and fast surveying approaches are increasingly being deployed in several domains, including in the field of built heritage documentation. In parallel with mobile mapping systems, uncrewed aerial systems, and simultaneous location and mapping systems, 360° cameras and spherical photogrammetry are research topics attracting significant interest for this kind of application. Although several instruments and techniques can be considered to be consolidated approaches in the documentation processes, the research presented in this manuscript is focused on a series of tests and analyses using 360° cameras for the 3D metric documentation of a complex environment, applied to the case study of a XVIII century belltower in Piemonte region (north-west Italy). Both data acquisition and data processing phases were thoroughly investigated and several processing strategies were planned, carried out, and evaluated. Data derived from consolidated 3D mapping approaches were used as a ground re...
One of the last and more pressing requests to the researchers working in the field of Geomatics i... more One of the last and more pressing requests to the researchers working in the field of Geomatics is to research, validate, and propose new strategies for the rapid mapping of different contexts, with low-cost solutions. The continuous implementation of image-matching algorithms and their use in structure from motion (SfM) software allow using new sensors and implementing new strategies for the production of 3D models starting from an image-based approach. In the last years, another central issue for the researchers has been related with the documentation of cultural heritage (CH) artifacts using different sensors and techniques. In the experience presented in this paper, the attention was focused on these two central aspects: a test of a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) steadicamera for the rapid 3D documentation of two cultural heritage artifacts was proposed. The two sites chosen to evaluate this mass market sensor were as follows: the Basilica of San Nicola (Tolentino, MC, Marche Region, Central Italy) and the Castello del Valentino (Torino, TO, Piedmont Region, North Italy). The metric products obtained with the Steadicam were compared with more consolidated techniques such as close-range photogrammetry (CRP) and terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The products derived from the different techniques were then evaluated and compared, and an overall assess of the use of this new solution was made.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2017
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how much the phases of flight planning and the setting of... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss how much the phases of flight planning and the setting of the camera orientation can affect a UAVs photogrammetric survey. The test site chosen for these evaluations was the Rocca of San Silvestro, a medieval monumental castle near Livorno, Tuscany (Italy). During the fieldwork, different sets of data have been acquired using different parameters for the camera orientation and for the set up of flight plans. Acquisition with both nadiral and oblique orientation of the camera have been performed, as well as flights with different direction of the flight lines (related with the shape of the object of the survey). The different datasets were then processed in several blocks using Pix4D software and the results of the processing were analysed and compared. Our aim was to evaluate how much the parameters described above can affect the generation of the final products of the survey, in particular the product chosen for this evaluation was the point cloud.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, , 2017
One of the challenging purposes that must be undertaken by applied geomatics, is the need of moni... more One of the challenging purposes that must be undertaken by applied geomatics, is the need of monitoring by documenting continuously over time the evolution of urban spaces. Nowadays, this is a subject of great interest and study, mainly in case of sudden emergency events that implicate urban areas and specific historical buildings of our heritage. The newest Geomatics technique solutions must enable the demands of damage documentation, risk assessment, management and data sharing as efficiently as possible, in relation to the danger condition, to the accessibility constraints of areas and to the tight deadlines needs. In August 24 th 2016, the first earthquake hit the area of central Italy with a magnitude of 6.0; since then, the earth never stop shaking in a wide area in the middle of Italy. On 26 th and 30 th of October, two other big seismic events were recorded (magnitude 5.9 and 6.5) and the already damaged built heritage were struck again. Since the beginning of the emergency all the available resources (human and material) were deployed and the world of researchers is trying to furnish an effective contribute as well. Politecnico di Torino, in coordination with the national institutions, is deploying people, expertise and resources. The geomatics research group and the connected Disaster Recovery team (DIRECT-http://areeweb.polito.it/direct/) is part of this process and is working in deep contact and collaboration with the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) group of the Italian Firefighter. Starting from the first earthquake the late medieval religious complex of S. Agostino has been carefully monitored and detected, using a multi-perspective oblique imagery strategy with the aim to achieve 3D aerial and terrestrial models, in a multi-temporal perspective concerning three different time situation.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2017
The project is part of the wider application and subsequent spread of innovative digital technolo... more The project is part of the wider application and subsequent spread of innovative digital technologies involving robotic systems. Modern society needs knowledge and investigation of the environment and of the related built landscape; therefore it increasingly requires new types of information. The goal can be achieved through the innovative integration of methods to set new analysis strategies for the knowledge of the built heritage and cultural landscape. The experimental cooperation between different disciplines and the related tools and techniques, which this work suggests for the analysis of the architectural heritage and the historical territory, are the following:-3D metric survey techniques with active and passive sensors-the latter operating in both terrestrial mode and by aerial point of view. In some circumstances, beyond the use of terrestrial LiDAR, even the newest mobile mapping system using SLAM technology (simultaneous localization and mapping) has been tested.-Techniques of non-destructive investigation, such as geophysical analysis of the subsoil and built structures, in particular GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) techniques.-Historic and stratigraphic surveys carried out primarily through the study and interpretation of documentary sources, cartography and historical iconography, closely related to the existing data or latent material. The experience through the application of these techniques of investigation connected to the built spaces and to the manmade environments has been achieved with the aim of improving the ability to analyse the occurred transformations/layers over time and no longer directly readable or interpretable on manufactured evidence.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2017
This paper proposes an emblematic project where several multi-sensor strategies for spatial data ... more This paper proposes an emblematic project where several multi-sensor strategies for spatial data acquisition and management, range based and image based, were combined to create a series of integrated territorial and architectural scale products characterized by a rich multi-content nature. The work presented here was finalized in a test site that is composed by an ensemble of diversified cultural deposits; the objects that were surveyed and modelled range from the landscape with its widespread mining sites, the main tower with its defensive role, the urban configuration of the settlement, the building systems and techniques, a medieval mine. For this reason, the Rocca of San Silvestro represented a perfect test case, due to its complex and multi-stratified character. This archaeological site is a medieval fortified village near the municipality of Campiglia Marittima (LI), Italy. The Rocca is part of an Archaeological Mines Park and is included in the Parchi della Val di Cornia (a system of archaeological parks, natural parks and museums in the southwest of Tuscany). The fundamental role of a deep knowledge about a cultural artefact before the planning of a restoration and valorisation project is globally recognized; the qualitative and quantitative knowledge provided by geomatics techniques is part of this process. The paper will present the different techniques that were used, the products that were obtained and will focus on some mapping and WEB GIS applications and analyses that were performed and considerations that were made.
Virtual Archaeology Review, 2017
This paper discusses some enhancements concerning 3D modelling, and the integration and compariso... more This paper discusses some enhancements concerning 3D modelling, and the integration and comparison of 3D data from aerial and terrestrial sensors, developed by innovative geomatics techniques around the metric documentation of cultural heritage. In archaeology, it is interesting to deal with the considerable advantages of new multi-sensor approaches for the data acquisition and the management phases in terms of the sustainability (automated acquisition, quickness, precision, time and cost cutting). In particular, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) photogrammetry with the joint use of nadir and oblique cameras can be usefully combined with the large-scale details acquired by the terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) in vast areas or complex objects, especially in mostly vertical sized objects. Here, we will report the results of an integrated 3D survey in an archaeological context in the Piedmont region of Italy. The Hercules Fountain is located in the gardens of the Venaria Reale (a Savoy Royal Palace included in the UNESCO heritage list) and has witnessed several events and historical phases during the past centuries – from its construction in the 16 th century to its disuse and decline in the 17 th century, right up to the 21 st century when it was eventually brought back to light. The goal of the test is the creation of a 3D continuous model of the site for documentation purposes, future consolidation, and enhancement projects finalised for a public promotion. To meet these strategic aims, a terrestrial laser scanning (TLS henceforth) survey has been designed together with multi-flights by a multi-rotor UAV and terrestrial close-range photogrammetry (CRP) acquisition to produce a highly detailed 3D textured model from which we have inferred standard 2D drawings, digital orthoimages, and further 3D products. In conclusion, the entire workflow and the outputs have been compared together to evaluate the effectiveness of each elaboration according to the different goals of the survey.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2017
Even more the use of UAV platforms is a standard for images or videos acquisitions from an aerial... more Even more the use of UAV platforms is a standard for images or videos acquisitions from an aerial point of view. According to the enormous growth of requests, we are assisting to an increasing of the production of COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) platforms and systems to answer to the market requirements. In this last years, different platforms have been developed and sell at low-medium cost and nowadays the offer of interesting systems is very large. One of the most important company that produce UAV and other imaging systems is the DJI (Dà-Jiāng Innovations Science and Technology Co., Ltd) founded in 2006 headquartered in Shenzhen – China. The platforms realized by the company range from low cost systems up to professional equipment, tailored for high resolution acquisitions useful for film maker purposes. According to the characteristics of the last developed low cost DJI platforms, the on-board sensors and the performance of the modern photogrammetric software based on Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms, those systems are nowadays employed for performing 3D surveys starting from the small up to the large scale. The present paper is aimed to test the characteristic in terms of image quality, flight operations, flight planning and accuracy evaluation of the final products of three COTS platforms realized by DJI: the Mavic Pro, the Phantom 4 and the Phantom 4 PRO. The test site chosen was the Chapel of San Giuliano in the municipality of Savigliano (Cuneo-Italy), a small church with two aisles dating back to the early eleventh century.
Integrated survey techniques for the study of an archaeological site of Medieval Morocco.
This paper presents the first results of the study conducted on the archaeological site of Chella... more This paper presents the first results of the study conducted on the archaeological site of Chellah (Rabat, Morocco).
Chellah was the Roman city of Sala Colonia; the site has undergone various transformations during its history and became the Marinid royal necropolis at the end of the XIII century A.D, a role that it maintained up to the end of XV century A.D. In particular, this research was focused on the study of the Marinid madrasa, that was a koranic school and a formation center of state functionaries.
The final aims of this work were: creating a corpus of surveys of the madrasa that fit the needs of accuracy and precision but also the needs of the archaeologists, testing and integrating different survey techniques (with considerations about methodology) and producing the final elaborates for the analysis of Building Archaeology.
Sovicille (SI). Castiglion che Dio sol sa: ricerche preliminari.
In Notiziario della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana 8/2012, All'Insegna del Giglio, Firenze, 2013
Sovicille (SI). L'insediamento medievale di S.Pietro di Ortennano.
In Notiziario della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana 7/2011, All'Insegna del Giglio, Firenze, 2012
Conference Presentations by Lorenzo Teppati Losè
From Sala to Shāla. The Islamic settlement and the Marīnid madrasa.
Reenactment and Experimental Archaeology as instruments of research and divulgation: the project Presenze Longobarde. TourismA. International Exhibition of Archaeology.
Anatomia di un castello. Per una storia di Castiglion che Dio sol sa.
Posters by Lorenzo Teppati Losè
"From galena to silver: a first attempt at experimental archaeology", 9th Experimental Archaeology Conference, 16-18 january 2015, UCD, Dublin.
Archaeological research in the area of Piedmont resulted in the identification of 13 sites with c... more Archaeological research in the area of Piedmont resulted in the identification of 13 sites with characteristic features of metallurgic activity, which date between the 5th and 10th century A.D.: in 6 of them, archaeologists investigated different artisanal facilities whose purpose was the reduction of minerals.
The presence of specific archaeological markers (ingots, hemispherical and semi-finished lead bars, tools associated with goldsmiths) and the proximity of the settlements to the argentiferous lead deposits led to hypothesis of the existence of activities related to extraction of silver: these activities seem to be associated with the production of iron, a topic that has often been under the attention of researchers.
The experimentation carried out by the authors has the aim to demonstrate how the kind of structures documented in Early Medieval Piedmont could be useful both for reducing iron and for extracting silver from galena minerals. The work was focused on reconstructing the structure found in Misobolo (TO) and dated back to the 8th century
A.D.(CIMA 1986): iconographical sources led us to the reconstruction of two bellows in leather and wood; ceramic tuyeres were replicated recreating one of the two furnaces found during the excavation of Brescia – Santa Giulia of Brescia.
The experimentation was useful to document all the steps of the production cycle and to obtain a small quantity of metal; during the research we were able to achieve a better understanding of some particular aspects of the structure’s working principles.
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Papers by Lorenzo Teppati Losè
Chellah was the Roman city of Sala Colonia; the site has undergone various transformations during its history and became the Marinid royal necropolis at the end of the XIII century A.D, a role that it maintained up to the end of XV century A.D. In particular, this research was focused on the study of the Marinid madrasa, that was a koranic school and a formation center of state functionaries.
The final aims of this work were: creating a corpus of surveys of the madrasa that fit the needs of accuracy and precision but also the needs of the archaeologists, testing and integrating different survey techniques (with considerations about methodology) and producing the final elaborates for the analysis of Building Archaeology.
Conference Presentations by Lorenzo Teppati Losè
Posters by Lorenzo Teppati Losè
The presence of specific archaeological markers (ingots, hemispherical and semi-finished lead bars, tools associated with goldsmiths) and the proximity of the settlements to the argentiferous lead deposits led to hypothesis of the existence of activities related to extraction of silver: these activities seem to be associated with the production of iron, a topic that has often been under the attention of researchers.
The experimentation carried out by the authors has the aim to demonstrate how the kind of structures documented in Early Medieval Piedmont could be useful both for reducing iron and for extracting silver from galena minerals. The work was focused on reconstructing the structure found in Misobolo (TO) and dated back to the 8th century
A.D.(CIMA 1986): iconographical sources led us to the reconstruction of two bellows in leather and wood; ceramic tuyeres were replicated recreating one of the two furnaces found during the excavation of Brescia – Santa Giulia of Brescia.
The experimentation was useful to document all the steps of the production cycle and to obtain a small quantity of metal; during the research we were able to achieve a better understanding of some particular aspects of the structure’s working principles.