3D modeling and visualization of Cultural Heritage sites from high-resolution satellite imagery

Today different satellites provide imagery with high potentials for applications in various fields of geomatics (e.g. DTM extraction, topographic mapping, GIS applications, Cultural Heritage documentation). The ground resolution of the satellite scenes is constantly increasing and the scenes can be acquired world-wide in different radiometric modes. In this contribution we present the modeling and visualization of the Cultural Heritage area of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, using high-resolution satellite imagery. The region, situated ca. 200 km north-west of Kabul, was one of the major Buddhist centres until the ninth century AD. The two standing Buddhas belonged to some of the most famous Buddhist monuments world-wide. They were a symbol for the region and they were destroyed in 2001 by the Taleban militia. In our previous reports we have already presented the 3D computer reconstruction of the Great Buddha and the Bamiyan cliff, while here we will describe the terrain modeling of the UNESCO World Heritage site from satellite images.