A Heritage Science Workflow to Preserve and Narrate a Rural Archeological Landscape Using Virtual Reality: The Cerro del Castillo of Belmez and Its Surrounding Environment (Cordoba, Spain)

© 2020 by the authors.

The main aim of this article is to present a heritage action protocol based on the application of photogrammetric and LiDAR acquisitions, a catalogue of flora and fauna, archeological research, and 3D virtualization for the integrated recovery of a rural cultural heritage site located in the Alto Guadiato Valley of Cordoba, Spain. This joint multidisciplinary action focusing on a common heritage objective has resulted in a comprehensive and innovative action: the virtualization of an 800-hectare multitemporal archeological landscape. The results may be of interest to researchers, educators, and tourism agents, or for the dissemination of scientific knowledge, among other applications. The protocol of actions implemented in the framework of this project can be replicated in sites with similar characteristics, particularly rural areas with well-preserved landscapes that have not been investigated. The main result of the project is the preservation of geomorphological features using remote sensing technologies and the creation of a virtual lookout for this historical and natural landscape (GuadiatVR), which is a very uncommon outcome within the virtualization of historical landscapes. The lookout can be downloaded from Google Play on IOS.

This research was funded by Agencia Estatal De Investigación (National Research Agency—Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation) with European Regional Development Fund actions (FEDER). Grant number AEI FEDER HAR 2016 77136-R. The Author Processing Charges was funded by Antonio Monterroso Checa using discount MDPI reviews vouchers.

Peer reviewed