WORLD HERITAGE SITES - PHOTOGRAMMETRIC RECORDS 
R W A Dallas, Chief Surveyor, English Heritage, United Kingdom, Commission V 
M Carbonnell, Honorary President, CIPA, France, Commission V 
The value of photogrammetric recording of World Heritage Sites was recognised with the adoption in 1 987 of a resolution by 
ICOMOS. This resolution proposed that all World Heritage Sites should be photogrammetrically recorded. The paper discusses 
this and shows examples of the application of photogrammeiry to typical World Heritage Sites. 
INTRODUCTION - WORLD HERITAGE SITES 
A major initiative taken by the UNESCO organisation in the 
heritage field has been the creation of the list of World Heritage 
Sites. There are now some 350 such sites recognised. These 
relate not only to historic monuments and sites, but to natural 
phenomena as well. Examples are the Pyramids in Egypt, the 
site of Abu Simbel also in Egypt, the Chateau of Chambord on 
the Loire in France and Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, 
United Kingdom. 
In compiling the list of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO has 
been aided by ICOMOS (International Committee for 
Monuments and Sites), and UICN (World Alliance for Nature). 
The programme was established in 1972 and these sites are 
considered to be the most important cultural and natural 
properties in the world. 
The principles on which ICOMOS is founded are largely 
encompassed in a document known as the Venice Charter 
(ICOMOS, 1964). The correct title of this document is "The 
International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of 
Monuments and Sites. Article Nine of the Charter includes the 
statement that "The restoration in any case must be preceded 
and followed by an archaeological and historical study of the 
monument". Clearly, to carry through such a policy requires 
considerable primary record and measured survey. 
While their physical protection is clearly of the first importance, 
recording and documentation of the sites is thus also seen to be 
very important. As has been indicated from the examples, the 
sites contain many forms of built structure and natural 
phenomena. Therefore a multitude of different techniques of 
recording and analysis will clearly be required. 
PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND THE ROLE OF CIPA 
CIPA (International Committee for Architectural 
Photogrammetry) is a specialised sub committee of ICOMOS 
and the ISPRS. Since its establishment in 1970, it has 
promoted the use of photogrammetry as a method of recording 
all forms of monuments and sites. The photogrammetric 
process can be used at various levels. The photography alone 
can be taken with appropriate metric cameras and control, and 
this material simply stored in archival form. Often of course, 
the photography is then used to plot full drawings and 
architectural detail of features. 
The value of the photogrammetric technique of recording 
historic monuments and sites is of course now well established. 
A major initiative of CIPA was therefore to have ICOMOS 
adopt as a matter of policy the principle of the use of 
photogrammetric techniques in recording World Heritage Sites. 
Of course, not all aspects of all World Heritage Sites are 
appropriate for photogrammetric recording, and of course total 
cover of all sites will take many years to achieve. 
However, proposals were put to ICOMOS that photogrammetric 
recording should be accepted in principle. At the 1987 
ICOMOS meeting held in Washington, CIPA were therefore 
delighted when ICOMOS adopted a resolution that 
photogrammetric recording techniques be applied for all World 
Heritage Sites. 
The text of the resolution is reproduced in full below: 
8th General Assembly 
of the International Council on Monuments and Sites 
Washington DC (USA), 10-15 October 1987 
RESOLUTION No 2 
CONCERNING PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ARCHIVES 
adopted by the General Assembly on 15 October 1987 
Considering the menaces to which monuments and sites are 
continuously subjected, particularly those of time and natural 
forces, 
taking into account the possibilities of scientific documentation 
and recording offered by the constitution of photogrammetric 
archives of cultural properties, 
the General Assembly, 
recommends to all countries who are members of ICOMOS 
a) to constitute photogrammetric archives of their 
monuments and sites included in the World Heritage 
List, 
b) to extend, as far as possible, those archives to 
buildings and sites listed in their national 
inventories,