Digital photography and multi-perspective image in the study of historical sities

The creation of panoramic images for depicting urban landscape is a technique that has its origins in Antiquity. These images, which are known to represent large urban areas from multiple views, can be considered true works of art. Recently there has been a growing interest by some researchers, especially in the area of computer graphics, in the production of multi-perspective images for representing historic sites. However, the focus of these studies has been especially the computational aspects of this process, and there are few studies that address the impact and possibilities of these methodologies in historic preservation and urban planning. Realizing this shortcoming and considering the demand for a perspective more connected to cultural heritage, our proposal is to associate the excellent visual results of the multi-perspective images to the rich possibilities of computer simulation that can provide digital photography. The fact is that in recent years we have experienced technological innovations in the field of computer simulation that far exceeded our expectations. While most surveys of buildings are still based on the use of tape measure, pencil, paper and camera, the computer has become increasingly the main interface between the user and the information and is now the preferred instrument for the production and viewing of images, including the creation of virtual environments. Thus, this work seeks to explore the great potential which seems to exist in the combination of digital photography and the technique of multi-perspective image representation, which may provide new approaches and perspectives for the field of historic preservation. For that, we present a rapid and low cost methodology, developed in recent years, which generates orthophotos and metric multi-perspective images, useful for the analysis of built heritage and historic sites. In addition to that, we will also discuss further possible byproducts of this methodology, among which we could highlight the creation of three-dimensional models, and the analysis of building pathologies in combination with thermal photography. As a case study, we will present a representation of the Rua dos Caetés, a listed historic district in Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil