Quality vs Quantity: Advantages and Disadvantages of Image-Based Modeling

Abstract

In the last few years, survey has changed radically thanks to progress in the field of 3D, massive data acquisition methods. The scientific debate focuses on the control over data quality by comparing Structure from Motion acquisition methods with consolidated methods. Collecting and interpreting a large amount of information helps us deeply understand our cultural heritage. This system of knowledge that we create has to achieve a dual objective: to document heterogeneous data with guaranteed repeatability and to ensure data quality during data capture and model processing. This information includes cultural resource data: dimension, information on construction, material characteristics, color; etc. The case study, the Abbey of Santa Maria della Matina, focuses on the shift from quantitative data, acquired in a semi-automatic manner, to qualitative data, controlled under uncertainty. In this framework, all branches of the “Science of Representation” ensure metric, spatial, and formal control of the built models.