Digital Tool Supporting the Documentation and Analysis of Cultural Heritage: The Case of the Analytical 3D Model of the Zamość Fortress

Authors

  • Michał WacDepartment of Conservation of Monuments, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Lublin University of Technology, Lublin, PolandORCID ID 0009-0001-7640-9721
  • Bartosz SzostakDepartment of Conservation of Monuments, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Lublin University of Technology, Lublin, PolandORCID ID 0000-0002-2325-7103

Abstract

This paper presents a city-scale digital documentation and analysis workflow for cultural heritage assets, demonstrated on the example of the UNESCO-listed historic centre and fortress area of Zamość (Poland). The study integrates terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and terrestrial photogrammetry to produce a geometrically consistent 3D dataset covering over 100 buildings and key public-space elements. The processing pipeline includes scan registration, image-based reconstruction, and cross-sensor alignment, followed by the creation of an analytical 3D model segmented by address and parcel identifiers to enable linkage with municipal datasets.

A semantic layer is implemented by assigning a structured set of building- and neighbourhood-level parameters and mapping them into building information modelling (BIM)/openBIM structures (Revit shared parameters and industry foundation classes (IFC) Property Sets), targeting a level of information adequate for conservation-oriented diagnostics and urban-scale assessments rather than detailed component-level historic building information modelling (HBIM). Geometric quality is verified using independent checkpoints and registration statistics (e.g., root mean square error (RMSE) where applicable), yielding a typical spatial agreement on the order of 4 cm to 5 cm for the integrated model in representative test areas.

The resulting environment supports multi-criteria querying and visualisation, including functional categorisation, technical condition screening (e.g., moisture-related indicators), and energy-related attributes for prioritisation at the district scale. The main contribution is a reproducible integration of multi-source survey data with an explicit semantic/BIM mapping and verifiable accuracy reporting for a heritage city context, clarifying which outputs stem from the proposed method (data integration, segmentation, semantic schema, and validation) versus the standard capabilities of the employed software.

Keywords:

digital twin,cultural heritage documentation,3D modelling,terrestrial laser scanning,UAV photogrammetry,BIM/IFC

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