Professor Ben Ford was recently awarded an Ä¢¹½tv Academic Computing Policy Advisory Committee Innovation Grant to purchase photogrammetry software and hardware.
Photogrammetry is the construction of three-dimensional digital models from digital photographs. The software uses the data associated with the images to calculate a point cloud representing the true, three-dimensional shapes of objects in the photos. It also uses the colors and textures in the photos to make the images appear photo-real. This is a powerful technique for recording archaeological artifacts, excavation units, landscapes, and buildings. The three-dimensional images can be scaled and the inspected from all directions, making archaeological sites accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
Image: Photogrammetry model of Trench 1 at the Newport Village archaeological site. Newport Village was a late 18th and early 19th Euro American settlement near modern Blairsville, Pa. The stones visible in the trench are the remains of a stone-lined nineteenth-century road.
The ACPAC grant allowed the Department of Anthropology to acquire a second seat of software. This software converts digital photos into scaled photogrammetric models. The grant also funded the acquisition of very precise scale bars so that three-dimensional models can be assigned their proper sizes. Additional equipment from the grant included a 21-foot photo pole for capturing large or tall features from the ground and a turntable for recording artifacts. This equipment and software is available for students to use in their research and classes.
It is hoped that some of the three-dimensional models of sites and artifacts will eventually be produced in tangible forms using 3-D printers in Ä¢¹½tv's Steamshop.
About Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of human kind, including its biological evolution, the nature and development of culture, diversity across the globe, and archaeology.The Department of Anthropology at Ä¢¹½tv places special focus on applied anthropology,which uses anthropological knowledge to address practical, real-world applications, including forensic anthropology, the handling of archaeological remains to meet state and federal regulations, or work on environmental and social issues. Learn more on the website for the Ä¢¹½tv Anthropology Department.