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RECORDING, MODELING, VISUALISATION AND GIS APPLICATIONS 
DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS 
D. Moullou D. Mavromati V. Tsingas 1 2 , C. Liapakis 3 , L. Grammatikopoulos 2 , S. Raikos 2 , A. Sarris 4 , E. Baltsavias 5 , F. 
Remondino 5 ’ 6 , J.-A. Beraldin 7 8 , S. El-Hakim 1 , L. Coumoyer 1 , M. Picard 7 
1 Greek Ministry of Culture, Acropolis Restoration Service, 10 Polygnotou str. 10555 Athens, Greece - 
thmoullou@hotmai 1 .com, mavromatid@yahoo.com 
2 Elliniki Photogrammetriki Ltd., Ipsilantou 66, 15121 Pefki-Athens, Greece - vassilios.tsingas@elpho.gr, 
lazaros.pcvg@gmail.com, sraikos@yahoo.com 
3 Geotech O.E., Perikleous 41 and Thetidos 2, 15344 Gerakas-Athens, Greece - cliapakis@geotech.gr 
4 Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation for Research & Technology (FORTH), Melissinou & Nik. Foka 130, 
PO. Box. 1119, GR-74100 Rethymno, Greece - asaris@ret.forthnet.gr 
5 Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang Pauli Str. 15, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland - 
(manos, fabio)@geod.baug.ethz.ch 
6 3D Optical Metrology Group - Centre for Scientific & Technological Research (IRST), Trento, Italy 
Visual Information Technology (VIT), National Research Council (NRC), Ottawa, Canada - Angelo.Beraldin, 
Sabry.El-hakim, Luc.Coumoyer, Michel.Picard@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca 
Commission V, SS/19 
KEY WORDS: 3D Modeling, Texturing, Visualisation, Terrestrial Photogrammetry, Terrestrial Laser Sacnning, 3D GIS, Cultural 
Heritage, Digital Landscape, Erechteion, Athens Acropolis 
ABSTRACT: 
This paper presents the project “Development of Geographic Information Systems at the Acropolis of Athens“, financed by the 
European Union and the Government of Greece. The Acropolis of Athens is one of the major archaeological sites world-wide 
included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The project started in June 2007 and will finish at the end of 2008. The paper presents 
the motivation for the project and its aims, giving a description of the deliverables and the specifications, as well as the project 
difficulties. Furthermore, we present the techniques used, both photogrammetric and geodetic, for data acquisition and processing. 
The project is divided into three basic tasks: the geodetic one, involving field measurements for the generation of a polygonometric 
network and terrestrial laser scanning of the walls and Acropolis rock and also the Erechtheion monument, the photogrammetric one 
involving image acquisition, orientation, DSM generation and orthorectification, and finally the development of a GIS database and 
applications. This contribution underlines particularly the potential of combining different technologies (especially digital imaging 
and laser scanning) for an accurate 3D modeling of cultural heritage sites. Preliminary results are reported. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
This work is part of the project “Development of Geographic 
Information Systems at the Acropolis of Athens“ (Moullou and 
Mavromati, 2007). One of the primary aims of the project was 
the recording and documenting of the Acropolis circuit walls. 
The walls are very valuable because of the great quantity of 
material from various Acropolis structures built into them; a 
fact that makes the lack both of adequate measurements and of 
plans all the more noticeable. Having secured in 2005 funding 
from the European Union and the Greek State, the Acropolis 
Restoration Service initiated a project and prepared a detailed 
plan of implementation developed by: 
1. Analyzing the existing data, 
2. Recording the problems, 
3. Defining the needs, 
4. Establishing project goals, 
5. Determining steps needed to achieve these goals, 
6. Determining a realistic time-frame for the project, 
7. Determining costs and, 
8. Evaluating whether the project is worth doing given 
projected time and cost. 
Currently, the project is well in process after starting in June 
2007 and its completion is estimated by the end of 2008. 
The project has two main goals. Firstly, the production of the 
scientific infrastructure needed for current or future restoration 
planning, with the emphasis laid on the Acropolis circuit walls. 
The project will cater for the investigation of the various 
interventions the walls have sustained across time, for the 
location and study of the poros limestone and marble blocks 
reused in them and for the examination of their static 
sufficiency. Secondly, the exposure of all information gathered 
over the years about the interventions and the new historical, 
archaeological, architectural evidence that has been forthcoming 
from recording the monuments, inventorying and identifying 
scattered architectural members and dismantling the buildings. 
Expected final products 
The steps to achieve the above mentioned goals are the 
following: 
• Establishment of four new trigonometric points (combined 
with the three old ones) covering in visibility the whole 
monument 
• Establishment of a new polygonometric network.