Photogrammetric Documentation of the Hittite ‘Spring of Nerik’, Oymaağaç Höyük (Türkiye)—How Different Data Products Can Be Derived from Image Series

The Oymaağaç Höyük Project (2005–today) investigates a 6,500-year-oldmulti-period settlement in the district of Vezirköprü at the southern edge of the Black Sea province of Samsun in northern Türkiye. According to cuneiform texts, the site can be associated with the Hittite cult city of Nerik (17th–12th century BC). Automatic multi-image photogrammetry, also known as Structure from Motion (SfM), has proven to be a powerful and flexible means for the three-dimensional documentation of objects and finds of different shapes and sizes. Data products were created in the form of 3D point clouds, textured surface models, orthophotos, sections, and 3D prints (physical 3D models). Visualization of 3D data was realized via an internet browser (Potree Viewer, Babylon.js) and virtual reality (VR) techniques. Photogrammetry is very flexible in its application because the accuracy depends essentially on the scale of the images. On the other hand, the constantly growing volume of data as a result of the evolving technical possibilities requires sustainable data management, which is difficult to realize in practice due to limited financial resources. The article provides an overview of the use of photogrammetry in the project.