3D modeling of historic sites using range and image data

Preserving cultural heritage and historic sites is an important problem. These sites are subject to erosion, vandalism, and as long-lived artifacts, they have gone through many phases of construction, damage and repair. It is important to keep an accurate record of these sites using 3-D model building technology as they currently are, so preservationists can track changes, foresee structural problems, and allow a wider audience to "virtually" see and tour these sites. Due to the complexity of these sites, building 3-D models is time consuming and difficult, usually involving much manual effort. This paper discusses new methods that can reduce the time to build a model using automatic methods. Examples of these methods are shown in reconstructing a model of the Cathedral of Ste. Pierre in Beauvais, France.