Photogrammetry and the Petaluma Museum, a Director’s Brief

While photogrammetry, a technology that uses overlapping still photographs to create a richer combined image, has been around since the beginning of photography (and debatably even earlier), in the last decade it has been harnessed by museums and archives to create navigable digital 3 dimensional models. These models allow greater access to many items in collections that rarely reach the museum floor (such as textiles and other decorative items with detailing on all sides) due to being fragile, difficult to display, and other issues. The dynamic nature of these 3D models allows patrons to turn, flip, and zoom in and out on items, providing a more hands-on feel than simply looking at something in a glass case, and an opportunity for closer scrutiny. There are additional benefits to these models, few disadvantages, and exciting future possibilities. I believe that photogrammetry is a realistic, useful, and attainable technology that would prove advantageous for Petaluma Museum. The following report will make my case for its implementation.

link to the pdf

References

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