3D model of Rome in 1944

Innovative methods for the processing and display of historical aerial photographs are being explored as part of a joint research project between Christopher Sevara of the University of Vienna Aerial Archive and NCAP.

This visualisation of Rome on 20 August 1944 was made using a combination of 30 aerial reconnaissance photographs from the NCAP archive. The model and photographic orthomosaic were generated using image-based modelling software which can extract 3D information from overlapping sets of photographs, even when there is no information known about the cameras with which the photographs were taken. As the photographs are the sole source of data used for the reconstructions, this software makes it possible to build 3D reconstructions and visualisations of buildings and landscape features which have since changed or even disappeared entirely.