Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Photogrammetry, also known as structure-from-motion (SfM) photography, is a technique that creates three-dimensional models of real world subjects from two-dimensional digital photographs. Several readily available software packages, and the ability to capture a subject through almost any camera or platform, has made photogrammetric techniques a widespread tool for documenting and preserving the archaeological record. Despite its growing ubiquity, there is no agreed-upon "best practices" for photogrammetry. Particular concerns include the underreporting of metrics describing accuracy of models, the lack of standardized workflow for reliably producing models, and long-term curation of digital data. Our symposium will provide a platform for a conversation based around creating standards for the application of photogrammetry to archaeology. The presenters have provided papers, available in an electronic form, that cover a variety of archaeological settings. Discussions will include, but not be limited to, industry issues concerning camera and capturing instruments, recording techniques, workflow methodology, software platforms, display and dissemination of models, analysis, quality of models, data formatting and storage, and 3D model curation. Our goal for this session is to arrive at a consensus amongst the present discussants as to the current state and future of photogrammetry as an archaeological technique.