Digital modeling and data management for the conservation of masonry structures – MONUMENTUM

The approach developed within MONUMENTUM integrates five separate concerns.
Acquisition and data fusion. This action concerns the definition of methods for geometrically matching several acquisitions (laser scanning, photogrammetry, thermography, etc.) at several temporal states, needed to develop a framework for the multi-layers analysis of surfaces and the consistent nD reconstruction of structures.
Ad-hoc ontology for semantic annotation. This project proposes the representation of a domain knowledge (by terms and structuring logics) for annotating building’s structures, surfaces and materials, as well as for describing their degradation (by crossing the formalisation of the conservation specialists expertise with quantitative analysis methods).
Modelling and semantically structuring of the building’s morphology. Regarding the morphology of the structures, the project will focus on relevant ways to move from the raw 3D surveying to an «intelligible« 3D representation by defining semantic aspects characterizing the structure, parametric relationships between its components, connected to their geometry.
Modelling and analysis of structure behaviour. The resulting semantically-structured model will be also enriched by the simulation of the mechanical behaviour of components, material parameters, boundary conditions and the initial state.
Analysis and decision support tools. The correlation of the gathered data, as well as the analytical and experimental data resulting from their processing, will allow to explore new ways for implementing innovative tools for analysis, diagnosis, decision making and time tracking, in order to better direct the monitoring, prevention, restoration processes.

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In the field of cultural heritage, various data describe the state of the monument (survey data and scientific imaging, mappings of degradations, photographic collections, historical archives, analysis documents, coring, etc.). For the difficulty to collect, compare, analyze and validate data prior to restoration, this project aims to mobilize various disciplines (architecture, conservation, mechanics, informatics) to define a prototype of chain for the processing of information (including metrics and spatial analysis of surfaces, geometric models of structures, heterogeneous documentary sources, etc.). The objective is to design and develop an open and extensible software platform for the capitalization and the management of knowledge that enhances the comprehension and analysis of degradation phenomena affecting historic buildings.
This project belongs to a highly multidisciplinary approach, and aims to support, in a rational way, the set of technical features (leaning on the "technological blocks" already developed by the consortium partners). Moreover, it aims to integrate them within a methodological reflection related to scientific questions raised by real objects of study.
In terms of computational modeling, this project presents two innovative aspects: on one side, the idea of ??linking (and of bringing near) the phase of acquisition of spatial data to the one of data analysis and interpretation, on the other side, the ambition to develop analysis supports (morphology of the building, surface state, structural behavior) interconnected in a system conceived for the semantic characterization, based on mechanisms of distribution / spread (multiscale and multi-projection) of concepts structured according to an ontology specific to cultural heritage domain.