The iTech4Monitoring Project – Innovative Technologies for Monitoring of Heritage Buildings and Infrastructures, funded by the EEA Grants Fund for Bilateral Relations, took place between October 2022 and December 2024. The initiative was led by Universidade Lusófona – Centro Universitário do Porto (UL-CUP) in partnership with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI).
The project focused on the application of innovative strategies for structural monitoring using drones and photogrammetry techniques, concentrating on the study of tall or hard-to-access structures. The work involved the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), specifically quadcopter drones, which share characteristics with conventional helicopters (such as hovering and low-speed flight), essential for this type of task.
In the initial phase, the drones enabled the collection of aerial photographs of structures that were difficult to access. These were later used in photogrammetry techniques that allowed the 3D reconstruction of the respective structures and the rapid and cost-effective acquisition of additional information. The adopted approach allowed a relatively quick and economical way of doing the process, when comparing to other traditional approaches.
Two case studies were considered: the first involving a tall chimney from a former factory in the city of Aveiro, and the second an old, partially deteriorated chapel in Vouzela, in the district of Viseu. In both cases, the drone enabled the collection of a large number of photographs of the structures under study. Using photogrammetry techniques, 3D models were then created. These models provided accurate measurements of the structural elements, confirming the suitability of the adopted strategy.
The project involved faculty members and students from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Technologies at Universidade Lusófona (UL-CUP), along with expert researchers from NGI. During the project, a workshop was also organized at UL-CUP, involving faculty, researchers, students from various Portuguese universities, and professionals in the field. In this workshop, two NGI researchers shared advanced knowledge about InSAR technology – Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, a technique that allows for the mapping of ground deformations over time using satellite-acquired images of the Earth's surface, an approach directly related to the ongoing project.
The project strengthened the collaboration between the involved entities and created synergies in the application of the relevant technology. By proving to be practical, fast, and cost-effective, the adopted strategy demonstrated its usefulness and appropriateness.