TLS survey for material analysis and classification of marble pavement of the “Cappella di San Cataldo” in Taranto (Italy)

The aim of this manuscript is to classify, from a material point of view, the marbles that make up the flooring of the chapel inside the Cathedral of San Cataldo in the city of Taranto (Italy). To achieve this aim, a 3D survey was carried out by Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS); indeed, the dense point cloud was subsequently classified according to the reflectance value. This task allowed to reconstruct the geometry of the various elements that make up the pavement and, through an accurate photographic interpretation, associate each geometry with the relative material. In addition, in order to create a useful tool for the conservation, valorization and enjoyment of the cultural heritage, as well as for possible maintenance and historical restoration activities, a model was implemented in a Spatial Information System (SIS) environment in which, in addition to the geometric information, a series of semantic-descriptive information on the materials was associated for a greater and more shared knowledge of the territorial Cultural Heritage.