Enhancing evidence and re-evaluating interpretations with 3DGIS and image-based 3D replicas: the case of Borggade (Denmark)
Matteo Pilati
Abstract This paper illustrates a 3DGIS solution for the integration of image-based 3D recording in the investigation process at the medieval site of Borggade (Denmark). This experience reveals some methodological strengths and theoretical implications of using accurate and detailed 3D replicas of archaeological contexts for the managing of information in the field. Thanks to the reliance on a powerful offsite processing computer and a 4G data transfer connection, it has been possible to dispose of 3D replicas of the documentation surfaces and document them contextually to the excavation process. An entire library of over 150 replicas could be visualized and databased in ESRI’s ArcScene, reproducing documentation surfaces (plans and sections) the way they were shaped, perceived and initially interpreted by the archaeologists in the field. Furthermore, 3DGIS poses the archaeologist also in the position of representing, thus analyzing, the site as it never had existed in reality: the replicas can indeed be rearranged according analytical needs. As concluding remarks, given the accuracy and detail of true-to-reality 3D replicas their implementation can deliver a great amount of information about the site’s structure and the onsite interpretation work; integrated in a 3DGIS environment, this information enhances the evidential and analytical value of documentation, promoting processes of data validation and re-evaluation of interpretations.
