On 3D dimension: study cases for archaeological sites

For more than a century the tridimensional vision has been of interest for scientists and users with different interests. The mathematical bases have remained substantially unchanged but only the new technologies have allowed us to make the vision really impressive. Photography opens new frontiers and has enriched of physical, mathematical, chemical, informatical and topographic notions by making the images so real to make the observer fully immersed into the represented scene. By means of active goggless the 3D digital technique, commonly used for video games, makes possible animations without limitations in the dimension of the images thanks to the improved performances of the graphic processor units and related hardware components. In this paper we illustrate an experience made by the students of the MSc’degree course of Topography, active at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, in which the photography has been applied as an innovative technique for the surveying of cultural heritage. The tests foresee the use of traditional techniques of relief with 3D digital images and use of GPS sensors. The ultimate objective of our experience is the insertion in the web, allowing us the visualization of the 3D images equipped with all data. In conclusion these new methods of relief allow the fusion of extremely different techniques, in such an impressive way to make them inseparable and justifying the origin of the neologism “Geomatics” coined at the Laval University (Canada) during the eighties.