3D modeling of the Milreu roman heritage with UAVs

Abstract

In this paper we present a methodology to build a 3D model of a roman heritage site in the South of Portugal, known as Milreu, covering a region of about one hectare. Today’s Milreu ruins, a national heritage site, were once part of a 4rd century, luxurious villa-style manor house, which was subsequently converted into a thriving farm. Due to its relevance, it is important to make the 3D model of the Milreu ruins, to be available for the exploration in the Web and for virtual and augmented reality applications for mobile devices. This paper demonstrates the use of UAVs for the reconstruction of the 3D models of the ruins from vertical and oblique aerial photographs. To enhance the model quality and precision, terrestrial photographs were also incorporated in the workflow. This model is georeferenced, which give us the possibility to automatically determine accurate measurements of the Roman structures.