Application of Structure from Mortion in Japanese Archaeology

Abstract. In Japan, archaeological excavations carry out over fifty thousand times per year. Nowadays, archaeological data is accumulated day by day. To record these documentation about archaeological data, it is desirable to the documentation of their shape in 3-dimensional form. Structure from Motion (SfM) is the one of the cost effective method to record the 3D documentation. This paper introduces application of SfM technology to examine the validity of an archaeological documentation in Japanese archaeology in recent year. Whenever, a complicated form finding has to be recorded at an archaeological excavation. It often requires a long time to create by a traditional manual drawing. For example, a well made of reuse roof tiles, garden stones and stone chamber. By using SfM, the time spent working at the archaeological site was greatly reduced. And many platforms to take an image at the variety of archaeological site's condition, like a small UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) are tested using for wider area recording. These methods are used in disaster stricken areas in East Japan.