Virtual reconstruction of archaeological sites post excavation using 3D CAD models (ViRASPEC)

Abstract

The current techniques and tools for excavating and recording findings of excavated archaeological sites are limited, particularly for complex sites. The collected data is very complex, and this makes it very difficult for archaeologists to visualise the site after it has been excavated, especially during the interpretation process. Software solutions to aid the archaeologist do exist, but they are either based on out-dated technologies, produce insufficient solutions, or too expensive, skill dependent and time-consuming to work with. The main target for this project is to develop a system which aids archaeologists in visualising the site post-excavation. This work presents a system which can help reduce the complexity of this problem by structuring and modelling the recorded data using modern data representations and cross-platform technologies. This goal is achieved through the integration of an interactive and customisable Harris Matrix and an interactive 3D model of the excavated site depicting the different excavated layers in their discovered positions. Both the matrix and the 3D model are generated using solely stratigraphic unit data, and dimensional and positional data respectively.