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This paper aims at evaluating the possibility of using wearable mobile mapping solutions as a tool for detecting deflections in timber floors. These construction systems are prone to present this type of damage due to the mechanical properties of the wood (relatively low flexural stiffness and creep behaviour). During this study we have evaluated the chance of introducing an additional stage to the general workflow. This stage is devoted to reduce the noise of the 3D point cloud by using the Statistical Outlier Removal filter in combination with a noise-reduction filter such as the Anisotropic filter, the PointCleannet or the Scored-based denoised networks (Deep Learning methods). According with our results, the use of this strategies improves the quality of the 3D point cloud form a qualitative and quantitative point of view. However, these improvements seem to be not sufficient for using this product as a universal source of information for deflection analysis. In this sense, and according with the sensor and study case exploited, this type of point clouds could be used in floors with 5-8-meter length and a relative deflection of about L/200 or higher.

This article shows the application of different geoinformatic approaches for the diagnosis of a small hermitage located at the Spanish capital of Madrid. More specifically Structure from Motion photogrammetry for the 3D digitalization and orthophoto generation, and Geographical Information System (GIS) for uploading and management of the information were used. Both strategies were carried out using open-source software. In the case of the GIS approach the QGIS platform was chosen and some additional features were programmed to facilitate the diagnosis such as the creation of standardized HTML files to improve the interoperability. The pre-diagnosis phase was carried out by means of the Qfield android application that allows capturing the data on field. Additionally, several previous test, i.e. X-ray diffraction, microscopy and physical tests were carried out with the aim of understanding the severe degradation process that this Hermitage is suffering. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to understand the current status and degradation mechanisms of the Hermitage on which the most prominent damages are the features induced by material loss. This damage is related with the environmental conditions of the sites as well as the physical and chemical properties of the stone used during its construction.

Stability of masonry constructions is highly conditioned by the geometric disposition of its elements due to its low tensile strength and great compressive mechanical properties. Under this framework, this paper attempts to evaluate the suitability of a wearable mobile mapping solution, equipped in a backpack and based on the well-known simultaneous location and mapping paradigm, for the structural diagnosis of historical constructions. To evaluate the suitability of this device, the structural analysis obtained is compared with a high precision terrestrial laser scanner, which is considered as ground truth. The Romanesque church of San Pedro (Becerril del Carpio, Spain) was selected as a study case. This construction, initially conceived in the XIIIth century, has experimented in the past a soil settlement promoting the leaning of the north wall, several plastic hinges in its barrel vault and a visible geometrical deformation. The comparison of both techniques was carried out at different levels: i) an evaluation of the time needed to obtain the point cloud of the church; ii) an accuracy assessment based on the comparison of a terrestrial network using artificial spheres as checkpoints and; iii) an evaluation of the discrepancies, in terms of safety factor and collapse topology, found during the advance numerical evaluation of the barrel vault by means of the finite element method. This comparison places this wearable mobile mapping solution as an interesting tool for the creation of advanced numerical simulations to evaluate the structural stability of historical constructions.

As stated the Nara Document on Authenticity and the last Restoration Charter, valorisation of Cultural Heritage sites requires to understand its tangible and intangible values. These values need to be considered as variables that change along the time and space, and they are the result of the interaction between the cultural heritage assets with its history (civilization, societies, etc.). Under this basis, the research project SmartWall attempts to develop a new platform for the valorisation of the Medieval Wall of Ávila, and thus the transmission of its tangible and intangible values to the society. To this end, SmartWall uses an efficient combination between 360 images, 3D/4D models and a geospatial database. This combination provides the following capabilities: i) upgrading the information in real-time, adding, modifying or deleting any type of document; ii) filtering the information in accordance with specific criteria and; iii) managing the information according with different profiles of the user (e.g. expert user, students and tourists). All this information is boosted with a direct link to a 4D model of the Wall, which allows analysing any aspect of the Wall through time. The development and validation of the SmartWall platform was performed in the Alcázar Gate, one of the most emblematic parts of the Medieval Wall of Avila.

The integration of the fourth dimension into the geospatial data allows to generate a diachronic model of Cultural Heritage (CH) assets, namely, a set of 3D models to represent it in various historical phases. This kind of reconstruction pursues a better understanding of the CH site/scenario, enriching the historical hypotheses as well as contributing to the conservation and decisionmaking process. Although the new geotechnologies have reduced the amount of fieldwork, the generation of 4D model implies the interpretation of heterogeneous historical information sources and their integration. However, this situation could reach a critical point when the study elements are no longer present. Their reconstruction will allow the digital preservation and maintenance of our culture. The main challenge is to harmonize the different historical and archaeological data sources available in relation with the current remains, to recover the lost CH assets with a high degree of reliability. This manuscript aims to examine the study case of a diachronic reconstruction by means of the use of the geotechnology Mobile Laser System (MLS) and reverse engineering techniques for a lost urban CH element, the citadel or Alcázar Gate of Ávila. Within this aim, the derived product is evaluated in terms of the achieved accuracy to assess its suitability on the basis of constructive interpretations required to integrate the historical sources in relation to current remains and the surrounding.

This paper sums up the main contribution derived from the thesis entitled "Multispectral imaging for the analysis of materials and pathologies in civil engineering, constructions and natural spaces" awarded by CIPA-ICOMOS for its connection with the preservation of Cultural Heritage. This thesis is framed within close-range remote sensing approaches by the fusion of sensors operating in the optical domain (visible to shortwave infrared spectrum). In the field of heritage preservation, multispectral imaging is a suitable technique due to its non-destructive nature and its versatility. It combines imaging and spectroscopy to analyse materials and land covers and enables the use of a variety of different geomatic sensors for this purpose. These sensors collect both spatial and spectral information for a given scenario and a specific spectral range, so that, their smaller storage units save the spectral properties of the radiation reflected by the surface of interest. The main goal of this research work is to characterise different construction materials as well as the main pathologies of Cultural Heritage elements by combining active and passive sensors recording data in different ranges. Conclusions about the suitability of each type of sensor and spectral range are drawn in relation to each particular case study and damage. It should be emphasised that results are not limited to images, since 3D intensity data from laser scanners can be integrated with 2D data from passive sensors obtaining high quality products due to the added value that metric brings to multispectral images.

Accurate studies of cultural heritage structures usually require the application of combined techniques to understand its structural behaviour. It is in this context, where the article present a set of procedures based on the dual combination of photogrammetric methodologies (image-based modelling and digital image correlation) and the finite element method to understand the structural behaviour of these structures. Through the interpretation of the different obtained products, by the defined approach, it is possible to estimate and evaluate the causes of the structural damage that the analysed infrastructure can suffer and also design subsequent restoration mechanisms, always from a perspective of minimal intrusion to the structure. This case of study aims to validate the methodology presented, using as an example a case of vernacular architecture (a dome) in Sejas de Aliste (Zamora, Spain).

Under the framework of the modern theory of restoration, this paper shows the experimental results obtained during the structural diagnosis of one of the most important master gates inside the military modern complex of Almeida in Portugal: the inner master gate of Saint Antonio. This master gate was conceived with the aim of supporting the siege of an early modern army, using to this end a masonry framework filled by a natural soil able to absorb the impacts. However, this infill is promoting the disaggregation of the masonry and thus the reduction of its bearing capacity. In order to evaluate the current and future structural behaviour, it is proposed a method able to combine the terrestrial laser scanner with the limit analysis for masonry constructions. The results obtained by this combination shows that the major barrel vault has, in its current conservation state, enough bearing capacity to support an agglomeration of people. However, it is recommended a material restitution in order to recover the contact are between masonry blocks as well as to recover the architectural interpretation of the element.

Temporal analyses and multi-temporal 3D reconstruction are fundamental for the preservation and maintenance of all forms of Cultural Heritage (CH) and are the basis for decisions related to interventions and promotion. Introducing the fourth dimension of time into three-dimensional geometric modelling of real data allows the creation of a multi-temporal representation of a site. In this way, scholars from various disciplines (surveyors, geologists, archaeologists, architects, philologists, etc.) are provided with a new set of tools and working methods to support the study of the evolution of heritage sites, both to develop hypotheses about the past and to model likely future developments. The capacity to “see” the dynamic evolution of CH assets across different spatial scales (e.g. building, site, city or territory) compressed in diachronic model, affords the possibility to better understand the present status of CH according to its history. However, there are numerous challenges in order to carry out 4D modelling and the requisite multi-data source integration. It is necessary to identify the specifications, needs and requirements of the CH community to understand the required levels of 4D model information. In this way, it is possible to determine the optimum material and technologies to be utilised at different CH scales, as well as the data management and visualization requirements. This manuscript aims to provide a comprehensive approach for CH time-varying representations, analysis and visualization across different working scales and environments: rural landscape, urban landscape and architectural scales. Within this aim, the different available metric data sources are systemized and evaluated in terms of their suitability.

The VETTONIA project aims to disseminate the rich heritage from the Iron Age of the western Iberian Peninsula and the archaeological investigations carried out on this topic in recent years. The project utilizes new technologies such as virtual tours, 3D models, and impressions to create interactive and stimulating ways to access the results of the most recent archaeological research. Using these resources, lectures and seminars are being given in various forums with diverse types of audiences to present the virtual tours and the rest of the dissemination initiatives. In addition, the project presents its different initiatives during the annual archaeological interventions developed in the oppidum of Ulaca (Solosancho, Ávila, Spain), with good reception by the attending public. The VETTONIA project represents a pioneering dissemination experience that takes advantage of the educational opportunities offered by new technologies. In the future, tools such as virtual tours to archaeological sites may prove essential in classroom teaching at different levels and could promote sustainable tourism in fragile natural environments such as those that constitute the major settlements of the Late Iron Age (ca. 400–50 BC).