Modeling Change: Quantifying Great Lakes Metal Shipwreck Degradation Using Structure from Motion 3D Imaging

Summary

Anecdotally, divers report metal shipwrecks throughout the Great Lakes are deteriorating at a much faster rate than in the past. This accelerated deterioration has been attributed to invasive muscle colonization on submerged resources, but has never been systematically measured. The development and use of new 3D modeling technologies, such as Structure from Motion (SfM), provides the opportunity to analyze these changes in an innovative and analytic way. Using the SS Wisconsin as a testing ground to create comparative 3D renderings of the same vessel over time, this methodology allows researchers to visually and mathematically quantify how submerged resources are changing over time, and begin to develop effective preservation strategies. These renderings demonstrate how SfM technology can serve as a pioneering tool in understanding the processes of change, paving the way for new techniques in documenting, quantifying, and understanding these changes in order to develop pertinent strategies for managing cultural resources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2016   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 510