Rilievo per immagini: la fotomodellazione

The objective of the study presented in this Ph.D. thesis is to investigate one of the most innovative survey techniques currently available on the international scene: photomodelling. This term refers to the possibility of obtaining, automatically and at considerably low costs, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the analyzed subject starting solely with a set of digital photographs. Analyzing the subject both from the theoretical point of view - highlighting the fundamentals on which this methodology is based – and from the practical one – with adequately documented experimentation - it was possible to investigate the main aspects thereof. Starting from experiments conducted in national centers of research, such as the Pisa's CNR, and international centers, e.g. the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Zurich, the subject is presented widely in the optics of the survey. The research is focused on issues closely linked to the field of study without taking into account the mathematical and informatics aspects that represent more and more the union of theory and practice. The experiments shown in the thesis, classified according to typology, have provided the skills necessary to deal with the application to a specific case study of the archaeological type. Comparing the results obtained with photomodeling with those gained with two different kinds of laser scanner. The results differed because of external factors, yet they remained within the range of a few millimeters. The experiments reported in this thesis can therefore be considered a clear starting point for further investigations and experimenting in this field. They can also constitute the theoretical and practical bases to understand the limitations and the potential of the new methodology.