Through-Time Models for the Protection and Conservation of Port Areas: From 2D Data to 4D Analysis

Three-dimensional survey is a key technology for documenting, monitoring, and analysing artifacts, buildings, and areas. Photogrammetry from drones makes it possible to survey and monitor impervious areas and, thanks to their manoeuvrability and reduced cost compared to airplane flights, to acquire data over time with regular missions, allowing constant monitoring. This paper presents a project to monitor a pier in a port area of the city of Naples that has undergone changes in shape over the years due to heavy storm surges. The project aims to create an accurate 4D database that will allow intelligent and targeted management of the area. The methodology followed a well-established pipeline: satellite images were compared to identify the changes in the coastline, then drone surveys were used to increase the accuracy of the data and, integrated with close-range photogrammetry, were used to obtain 3D models of the area for the 4D database. The project aims to perform a drone flight every year, at approximately the same time, to keep the monitoring of the pier up to date.