3D Modeling by thermography for nondestructive analysis of archaeological heritage

Nowadays, the law define as "cultural heritage" a big amount of artifacts. It is immense and in continuous expansion.The need to know as much as possible about the goods and to maximize its duration while maintaining its integrity and its accessibility to the public, has led to the search for increasingly effective solutions to fulfill the purpose. Thermographic analyses are fundamental to determine the insulating and thermo-absorbing capacities of the constituent elements and the position of structural elements not otherwise identifiable to the naked eye. The operation of the Thermographic camera is based on the material’s ability to absorb and release heat. The instrument generates maps in different colors that associate a corresponding color with a detected temperature.The present note describes the methodology for the realization of a thermical three-dimensional photogrammetric model, realized with infrared images applied to archaeological assets.The 3D modeling is based on the combined use of imaging techniques as digital photogrammetry and computer vision.