Landscape as a Historical Object: 3d Reconstruction and Evaluation of a Relief Model from the 18 Century

The relief of Franz Ludwig Pfyffer, constructed between 1762 and 1786, is considered the world’s oldest large landscape model and a pioneering work of Swiss cartography. Based on Pfyffer’s own measurements, the 26 m big work represents topographically an area of almost 4100 km. The relief, which served as a basis for several printed maps issued at the end of the 18th century, is now a subject of the first quantitative evaluation. Applying principles of aerial photogrammetry, a precise 3D model of Pfyffer’s relief is created for the documentation of cultural heritage. As a main research aim, methods for the comparison of the virtual model with current map information are implemented: planar and spatial transformations of identical points and an analysis of digital surface models. In particular, a new procedure for the transformation of historical height and image data has been developed and evaluated. Suggested approaches consider object distortions in all three directions and allow making statements about relief accuracy as well as reconstructing Pfyffer’s model building strategy.