Hongo, Kenji 
  
DEVELOPMENT OF IMAGE-BASED INFORMATION SYSTEM 
FOR RESTORATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE 
Kenji Hongo*, Ryuji Matsuoka*, Seiju Fujiwara*, Katsuhiko Masuda** and Shigeo Aoki** 
* Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd. Tokyo, JAPAN 
kenji_hongo@kkc.co.jp, ryuji_matsuoka@kkc.co.jp, seiju_fuj iwara@kkc.co.jp 
** Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties, Tokyo, JAPAN 
katuhiko@tobunken.go.jp, saoki@tobunken. go.jp 
KEY WORDS: Data acquisition, Database, Image processing, Orthophoto, Photogrammetry, System 
ABSTRACT 
An image-based information management system for restoration of cultural heritages has been developed. Precise 
records of the current status of a cultural heritage are necessary to preserve or restore it. Preservation or restoration plan 
can be made based on the current status of the object. The precise records of the object have been available by 
photogrammetric technique, but there are too few expensive photogrammetric instruments and experienced 
photogrammetrists at a heritage site. Accordingly, we decided to develop an amateur system for recording current status 
of the object by digital cameras, assisting a restoration researcher to make appropriate restoration plans, and then 
managing information about restoration histories of the object. Our system is based on digital photogrammetry, image 
processing and GIS technologies, and fundamental data of the system are digital ortho-images made from images 
acquired by digital still cameras. The system was designed for a restoration researcher who is neither photogrammetrist 
nor image processing specialist. The major advantage of the system is that it is easy for a nonprofessional to operate it. 
A restoration scientist without photogrammetric or image processing know-how can operate the system after short- 
period training. The second advantage of the system is that the hardware of the system is compact and not expensive. 
Main hardware components of the system are digital still cameras, lighting equipment, a note-type PC, a printer, and a 
removable storage device. Since all hardware components of the system are for all purposes and available on the market, 
the cost of the system becomes low. 
1 INTRODUCTION 
A lot of precious old cultural heritages remain all over the world. These heritages are of great value for human being in 
both history and art. Some of these old cultural heritages, such as mural paintings of Takamatsuduka tumulus in Nara in 
Japan, face a crisis that these are going to be collapsed naturally and/or artificially. These become gradually worse by 
weathering, plants, animals and human activities. Appropriate treatments for these are urgently requested at present. 
Although various technologies have been attempted to preserve or restore old cultural heritages, it is the most important 
to record the current status of the object precisely and preservation or restoration histories of them accurately. These 
records are necessary to monitor status of both damaged parts and restored parts of the target. A restoration researcher 
can make an appropriate preservation or restoration plan based on these records. 
However, precise and accurate records of an old cultural heritage are not necessarily available. Precise records of the 
current status of the object have been available by photogrammetric technique, but this photogrammetric work is 
manual labor and requires a great deal of time and cost. Conventional photogrammetric instruments are too expensive 
and there is no experienced photogrammetrist working at many heritage sites. And furthermore, since information such 
as position and extent of damages has been managed usually on an analog map and/or analog inventory, this has made a 
restoration research inconvenient to make an appropriate preservation or restoration plan. 
Therefore we determined to develop an amateur system for recording current status of an old cultural heritage by digital 
cameras, assisting a restoration researcher to make appropriate preservation or restoration plans, and then managing 
restoration information such as date, position, treatment method, used chemicals and so on. The system was requested 
to be such as a restoration scientist without photogrammetric or image processing know-how can operate the system 
with short-period training. 
  
372 International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part B5. Amsterdam 2000. 
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