Designing the metric survey for built heritage documentation using 360° images and an online cloud-based platform

Abstract. The documentation process of Built Heritage could be really challenging, and managing the different phases of this process is not always straightforward. The metric survey design is still one of the most complex and delicate tasks in the overall process: it drives the activities of data acquisition, processing, validation, interpretation, and final product delivery. It encompasses several aspects: stakeholders involvement, choice of instruments and techniques, available resources (not only economical but also in terms of human resources) timelines, etc. Moreover, a wrong or inaccurate metric survey design can lead to significant mistakes during the data acquisition phase that can result in the collection of redundant data or, worst-case scenario, a lack of data. After a brief state-of-the-art in the European and Italian framework, the research presented in this work will focus on the different aspects of the documentation process and, more specifically, on new digital tools that can assist this step of the Built Heritage documentation. More specifically, the contribution will focus on 360° cameras and the related cloud-based platforms for using and sharing these types of data. This market sector has been rapidly growing in the last years, and we faced a lowering of the purchase costs for these systems together with a wider availability of different sensors. Finally, the resolution has reached exciting levels with sensors that can record 360° data up to 6K/8K.