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  • Silves bridge geometric model via structure-from-motion: tool for heritage digital catalogs
    Publication . Prates, Gonçalo; Marçal Gonçalves, Marta; Lopes, Ana; Laranja, Roberto
    The old bridge in Silves, Portugal, has five perfectly formed arches extending over the Arade river with about 76 meters long built of local materials. In the 14th century this structure was rebuilt on the location of a previous structure built when Silves was the Moorish capital between the 8th and 13th centuries occupation of the Algarve. Though a Roman road might have crossed this area, there is no medieval descriptions mentioning a bridge in Silves, still it is also known as the Roman bridge.After interventions in the 14th, 17th, 18th and 20th centuries, the bridge was classified as monument of public interest and became pedestrian-only and frequently evaluated for its risk of collapse. Stereo-photogrammetry is a recognized surface reconstruction tool applied for almost one century, where from several overlapping images of the surface a 3D model can be obtained. Contrasting with classical stereo-photogrammetry, Structure-from-Motion (SfM) is a nearly automated compilation of digital imagery processing strategies that solve for camera position and surface geometry using matching features identified in several images from diverse perspectives and preferably with high degree of overlap. Together with ongoing increase in computer power, SfM allowed digital stereophotogrammetry to be operative for close-range, high-resolution and non-metric overlapping digital images, and cost-effective. Applying these nearly automated strategies to digital images of the old bridge in Silves taken from the surrounding grounds, a dense point-cloud was computed providing its complete digital model allowing accurate measurements and materials visual identification, key elements for heritage digital catalogs and historical building information models.
  • Surface displacement of Hurd Rock glacier from 1956 to 2019 from historical aerial frames and satellite imagery (Livingston Island, Antarctic Peninsula)
    Publication . Prates, Gonçalo; Vieira, Gonçalo
    In the second half of the 20th century, the western Antarctic Peninsula recorded the highest mean annual air temperature rise in the Antarctic. The South Shetland Islands are located about 100 km northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula. The mean annual air temperature at sea level in this Maritime Antarctic region is close to −2 °C and, therefore, very sensitive to permafrost degradation following atmospheric warming. Among geomorphological indicators of permafrost are rock glaciers found below steep slopes as a consequence of permafrost creep, but with surficial movement also generated by solifluction and shallow landslides of rock debris and finer sediments. Rock glacier surface velocity is a new essential climate variable parameter by the Global Climate Observing System, and its historical analysis allows insight into past permafrost behavior. Recovery of 1950s aerial image stereo-pairs and structure-from-motion processing, together with the analysis of QuickBird 2007 and Pleiades 2019 high-resolution satellite imagery, allowed inferring displacements of the Hurd rock glacier using compression ridge-and-furrow morphology analysis over 60 years. Displacements measured on the rock glacier surface from 1956 until 2019 were from 7.5 m to 22.5 m and surface velocity of 12 cm/year to 36 cm/year, measured on orthographic images, with combined deviation root-mean-square of 2.5 m and 2.4 m in easting and northing. The inferred surface velocity also provides a baseline reference to assess today’s displacements. The results show patterns of the Hurd rock glacier displacement velocity, which are analogous to those reported within the last decade, without being possible to assess any displacement acceleration.