Digital image processing in weathering damage analysis and recovery treatments monitoring

Abstract

Scientists and conservators, involved in cultural heritage documentation management, have to furnish not only qualitative but also quantitative description of the assessment of state of conservation that is incomplete without a realistic estimation of degradation conditions. Scientists and technicians, involved in analytical analysis, are able to satisfy these needs through stone or paints sampling analysis, often destructive when approaching a monument. The paper refers to the application of the Digital Image Processing and non-invasive damage analysis (ICAW technique) employed to verify in qualitative and quantitative way the decay of stone and rock paintings. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.