An Ontology-Driven Approach for Geometry Segmentation and Interpretation in Architectural Heritage/archaeology

Digital information systems are widely used for heritage documentation and management activities. The creation of 3D models based on different survey techniques, like photogrammetry and laser scanning, allows a fast collection of the studied assets in the form of geometry dimensions and point clouds. However, the raw geometric information and the mesh/solid converted data need to be associated with semantic annotation, defined as external and formalized knowledge of the architectural artifact. This paper proposes a workflow using Semantic Web-related technologies to support point cloud segmentation activity of archaeological artifacts. The suggested approach is based on analyzing and integrating different layers of information through three main phases: the digital acquisition phase, the geometry creation phase, and the semantic enrichment phase. The defined framework is then applied to the archaeological case study of Tivoli to highlight how the workflow can significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of data segmentation in the existing heritage documentation processes by providing a solid basis for the generation of detailed and semantically enriched geometric information models. Finally, the creation of this system prototype will give overall support to aid the interpretations and value recognition of heritage sites thanks to the capability of representing and managing the categories (in Aristotle’s sense) and the uniqueness of concepts applied to this peculiar and paradigmatic case study.