This article presents a texture mapping procedure for transferring information from historical images, potentially dating back several decades, even to the late 19th century, onto a three-dimensional (3D) model representing the current condition of the studied system. The method is implemented as a MATLAB toolbox, initially developed for 3D infrared thermography and subsequently modified and adapted to allow fast texture mapping using a variety of historical image types, including photographs, postcards, and technical maps (COMAP3 toolbox, freely available under a General Public License). This approach ensures accurate alignment and reliable integration of the images onto the 3D model. Besides the point cloud onto which data from one or more historical images are projected, the procedure includes quality analysis of the results in terms of residuals, defined as differences between moving points recognized manually or automatically via a feature-based approach, and transformations of the corresponding fixed points. It also evaluates the actual ground pixel size with respect to the ground sampling distance for each pixel. The paper demonstrates the method’s effectiveness through a dedicated test and applies it to the parish church of San Giorgio in Argenta, Ferrara, Italy, mapping flood levels from 1917, 1955, and 2024 onto a photogrammetric point cloud.
Pesci et al. (Sat,) studied this question.