Analysis of landscape heritage and territorial transformations dedicated to its protection and preservation rely increasingly upon the contribution of integrated disciplines. In 2000 the European Landscape Convention established the necessity ‘to integrate landscape into its regional and town planning policies and in its cultural, environmental, agricultural, social and economic policies’. Such articulated territorial dimension requires an approach able to consider multi-dimensional data and information from different spatial and temporal series, supporting territorial analysis and spatial planning under different points of view. Most of landscape representation instruments are based on 3D models based on top-down image/views, with still weak possibilities to reproduce views similar to the human eye or map surface development along preferential directions (e.g. water front views). A methodological approach of rediscovering the long tradition of historical water front view maps, itinerary maps and human eye maps perspective, could improve content decoding of cultural heritage with environmental dimension and its knowledge transfer to planners and citizens. The research here described experiments multiple view models which can simulate real scenarios at the height of observer or along view front. The paper investigates the possibilities of panoramic views simulation and reconstruction from images acquired by RC/UAV platforms and multisensory systems, testing orthoimage generation for landscape riparian areas and water front wiew representation, verifying the application of automatic algorithms for image orientation and DTM extraction (AtiPE, ATE) on such complex image models, identifying critical aspects for future development. The sample landscape portion along ancient water corridor, with stratified values of anthropogenic environment, shows the potentials of future achievement in supporting sustainable planning through technical water front view map and 3D panoramic views, for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) purposes and for the improvement of an acknowledged tourism within geo-atlas based on multi-dimensional and multitemporal Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI).

This paper assesses different approaches in education between Western and Eastern Europe. It is based on a case study, comparing which compares universityies conventions inbetween Spain and Czech Republic, focusinged on e-learning and Open Source softwareources. The Eeducation system at Polytechnic University in Valencia (UPV) puts much more emphasis on open source solutions and elearning compared to the situation in Czech Republic. gvSIG is an open source geographic information system (GIS), co-developed at UPV as ain collaboration of commercial companies with research institutions. Lecturers at UPV significantly integrate free and open source (FOSS) into classes as well as they participate in open source communities like Planet gvSIG, gvSIG Outreach or Association for the promotion of FOSS4G and the development of gvSIG. In fact, a complex system for self-education in the field of GIS has been developed there. It combines positive relationship to open source solutions and takes advantage from all sections together. The “Aula Virtual” project is a virtual training classroom using the virtual educational platform. Great emphasis is put on step-by-step video tutorials. 300 videos are uploaded on PoliTube Channel, which contain both video and audio and “time-stamps-links”. Time-stamp allows the possibility to switch among videos and other sources (annotation, webpages, etc.) dependent on the student’s individual requirements. Compared to the situation in the Czech Republic, where proprietary software is still preferred in the academic sphere, this topic brings place for discussion. This paper discusses two different points of views, benefits of both of them and proposes a solution with regard to the specifics of Czech university education.

The article is dedicated to the topic of the implementation of INSPIRE directive within the Information System of the Czech Cadastre of Real Estates. The procedure of implementation of the INSPIRE directive for cadastral related themes, which started in 2008, is followed. Currently running view and download services as well as experience with its operational run are described. Finally an overview of the implementation problems and scheduled follow-up activities are outlined.

Hydrologists need simple, yet powerful, open source framework for developing and testing mathematical models. Such framework should ensure long-term interoperability and high scalability. This can be done by implementation of the existing, already tested standards. At the moment two interesting options exist: Open Modelling Interface (OpenMI) and Object Modeling System (OMS). OpenMI was developed within the Fifth European Framework Programme for integrated watershed management, described in the Water Framework Directive. OpenMI interfaces are available for the C# and Java programming languages. OpenMI Association is now in the process of agreement with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), so the spatial standards existing in OpenMI 2.0 should be better implemented in the future. The OMS project is pure Java, object-oriented modeling framework coordinated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Big advantage of OMS compared to OpenMI is its simplicity of implementation. On the other hand, OpenMI seems to be more powerful and better suited for hydrological models. Finally, OpenMI model was selected as the base interface for the proposed open source hydrological framework. The existing hydrological libraries and models focus usually on just one GIS package (HydroFOSS – GRASS) or one operating system (HydroDesktop – Microsoft Windows). The new hydrological framework should break those limitations. To make hydrological models’ implementation as easy as possible, the framework should be based on a simple, high-level computer language. Low and mid-level languages, like Java (SEXTANTE) or C (GRASS, SAGA) were excluded, as too complicated for regular hydrologist. From popular, high-level languages, Python seems to be a good choice. Leading GIS desktop applications – GRASS and QGIS – use Python as second native language, providing well documented API. This way, a Python-based hydrological library could be easily integrated with any GIS package supporting this programming language. As the OpenMI 2.0 standard supported interfaces only for Java and C#, the Python interface for OpenMI standard, presented in this paper, is the first step done towards the open and interoperable hydrological framework. GIS-related issues of the OpenMI 2.0 standard are also outlined and discussed.

The paper deals with a design of a new raster sub-system intended for modern GIS systems open for client and server operation, database connection and strong application interface (API). Motivation for such a design comes from the current state of API working in GRASS 6. If found attractive, the here presented design and its implementation (referred as RG7) may be integrated to the future new generation of the GRASS Geographical Information System version 7-8. The paper describes in details the concept of raster tiling, computer storage of rasters and basic raster access procedures. Finally, the paper gives a simple benchmarking experiment of random read access to raster files imported from the Spearfish dataset. The experiment compares the early implementation of RG7 with the current implementation of rasters in GRASS 6. As the result, the experiment shows the RG7 to be significantly faster than GRASS in random read access to large raster files.

The paper describes intelligent map system that allows to check errors in map sheets or to help with a map sheet creation. The system is based on expert system DROOLS, ontology created in Protége and statistical software R. Prototype of the system should evaluate that this kind of integration is possible, so the system is not full of rules. The prototype is filled with twenty rules written in DRL language and with more than thirty items from the ontology. The paper should show how all of these components can be integrated together to allow such kind of a map sheet evaluation. The system is now used for selection of the best method for data classification. The selection is suggested by DROOLS system that uses R software to perform statistical tests of normality and uniformity.

This research deals with an efficient and low cost methodology to obtain a metric and photorealstic survey of a complex architecture. Photomodeling is an already tested interactive approach to produce a detailed and quick 3D model reconstruction. Photomodeling goes along with the creation of a rough surface over which oriented images can be back-projected in real time. Lastly the model can be enhanced checking the coincidence between the surface and the projected texture. The challenge of this research is to combine the advantages of two technologies already set up and used in many projects: spherical photogrammetry (Fangi, 2007,2008,2009,2010) and structure for motion (Photosynth web service and Bundler + CMVS2 + PMVS2). The input images are taken from the same points of view to form the set of panoramic photos paying attention to use well-suited projections: equirectangular for spherical photogrammetry and rectilinear for Photosynth web service. The performance of the spherical photogrammetry is already known in terms of its metric accuracy and acquisition quickness but time is required in the restitution step because of the manual homologous point recognition from different panoramas. In Photosynth instead the restitution is quick and automated: the provided point clouds are useful benchmarks to start with the model reconstruction even if lacking in details and scale. The proposed workflow needs of ad-hoc tools to capture high resolution rectilinear panoramic images and visualize Photosynth point clouds and orientation camera parameters. All of them are developed in VVVV programming environment. 3DStudio Max environment is then chosen because of its performance in terms of interactive modeling, UV mapping parameters handling and real time visualization of projected texture on the model surface. Experimental results show how is possible to obtain a 3D photorealistic model using the scale of the spherical photogrammetry restitution to orient web provided point clouds. Moreover the proposed research highlights how is possible to speed up the model reconstruction without losing metric and photometric accuracy. In the same time, using the same panorama dataset, it picks out a useful chance to compare the orientations coming from the two mentioned technologies (Spherical Photogrammetry and Structure for Motion).

Visually complicated patterns can be found in many cultural heritages of the world. Islamic geometric patterns present us with one example of such visually complicated archaeological ornaments. As long-lived artifacts, these patterns have gone through many phases of construction, damage, and repair and are constantly subject to erosion and vandalism. The task of reconstructing these visually complicated ornaments faces many practical challenges. The main challenge is posed by the fact that archaeological reality often deals with ornaments that are broken, incomplete or hidden. Recognizing faint traces of eroded or missing parts proved to be an extremely difficult task. This is also combined with the need for specialized knowledge about the mathematical rules of patterns’ structure, in order to regenerate the missing data. This paper presents a methodology for reconstructing deteriorated Islamic geometric patterns; to predict the features that are not observed and output a complete reconstructed two-dimension accurate measurable model. The simulation process depends primarily on finding the parameters necessary to predict information, at other locations, based on the relationships embedded in the existing data and in the prior -knowledge of these relations. The aim is to build up from the fragmented data and from the historic and general knowledge, a model of the reconstructed object. The proposed methodology was proven to be successful in capturing the accurate structural geometry of many of the deteriorated ornaments on the Minaret Choli, Iraq. However, in the case of extremely deteriorated samples, the proposed methodology failed to recognize the correct geometry. The conceptual framework proposed by this paper can serve as a platform for developing professional tools for fast and efficient results.

In order to address architectural heritage conservation, we must be familiar with the medium with which we will be working, its function and response to incidents or external actions (natural or anthropogenic) and how the buildings were conceived and constructed in order to understand how they will be affected by the intervention process to which they will be subjected and adopt the adequate measures so these processes will not harm the buildings. An important element is the foundation. This is a fundamental, yet often forgotten, element. It is important to know the history of the foundations, how and why they were constructed and for this, it is essential to study architectural treatises as the origin of their design. It is surprising to read classical architecture treatises and observe that they do not refer to calculations of dimensions, but to constructive solutions that today may seem clever because they are obvious, but in reality, they do not address the thoughts of the designer or builder. The historic architectural treatises on construction that significantly influenced Spanish construction, which we studied and will present in this article, include Vitruvius and Palladio as well as the developments in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and even into the first half of the twentieth century: (Vitruvius (1st century BC), Palladio (1524), Alberti (1582), Cristóbal de Rojas (1598), Fray Laurencio San Nicolás (1639), Brizguz y Bru (1738), Rieger (1763), Fornes y Gurrea (1841), Espinosa (1859), Marcos y Bausá (1879), Ger y Lobez (1898) and Barberot (1927).

A conservation process usually generates new knowledge and an enormous amount of documentation during the inception and implementation of the project: the information collected from archives and other institutions; the information provided by the preliminary studies carried out prior to the intervention; the data provided in the field during the works and at the end of the process; and the final set of documentation delivered to the institution responsible for the maintenance and management of the monument. The challenge for conservation professionals and cultural heritage managers throughout this process once the works are over is to achieve and transmit this information to the public and specialists in order to raise awareness for better conservation of our built heritage. During the last few years, one of the actions that the Caja Madrid Foundation has activated with its restoration projects has been the opening of permanent on site museums or “Salas de Fábrica”, a place on site to understand the restoration works, to exhibit the remains that have being retrieved during the project and to permit the public to better understand the historical and artistic values of architectural and archaeological heritage as well as the importance of preserving our cultural legacy for the future.