Scientists are creating a highly-detailed 3D reconstruction of the grave of 15th Century English King Richard III.
University of Leicester experts are combining laser scanning with digital photogrammetric techniques to produce an interactive map of the monarch's burial place discovered beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, last year.
The remarkably accurate reconstruction will preserve the grave as it was following the excavation of Richard's skeleton - and will be a useful tool for studying the grave's conditions in future.
David Ackerley, a postgraduate researcher in the University's School of Geography, used a terrestrial laser scanner to map the exact shape of the grave.
The instrument was placed at various points around the grave. Using the principles of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), it fires out laser pulses in a 360 degree arc, recording the length of time taken to bounce off a surface and return to the scanner.
The information gathered at each of the measuring positions was combined to build up a 20-million point-cloud of the site - revealing everything down to the precise soil textures of the excavated grave walls.
The data from laser-scanning of the grave will then be converted into a triangulated irregular network (TIN) surface and combined with a survey made using digital photographs.
Jose Manuel Valderrama Zafra, a visiting academic at the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History used a digital camera to take more than 80 pictures of the grave from many different angles.
Jose, who is also an engineering researcher at the University of Jaen, Spain, used 3D modelling software to combine the photos into a 3D model of the grave.
"Laser scanning is a very useful surveying tool - especially as the technique is non-intrusive. Historically, you would have had to physically go into your survey area and measure every point by hand," Ackerley said.
"This technique allows for a quick, high resolution recording of features in areas that may be inaccessible - or where you want to preserve the layout of your site.
"In an archaeological context, the value of this non-invasive approach is that you can document the grave of King Richard III and generate a highly accurate and detailed virtual representation whilst minimising any disturbance caused," he said.
"What is remarkable about this is that we can create a truly objective 3D record of Richard III's grave using modern technology. It can then be used by Leicester City Council for the Richard III Visitor Centre," said Richard Buckley, lead archaeologist on the Search for Richard III.
