Investigating material decay of historic buildings using Visual Analytics with multi-temporal infrared thermographic data

This paper shows how visual analytics methodology can be used to facilitate interpretation of multi-temporal thermographic imagery for the purpose of restoration of cultural heritage. We explore thermographic data in a visual environment from the unifying spatio-temporal perspective in an attempt to identify spatial and spatio-temporal patterns that could provide information about the structure and the level of decay of the material, and the presence of other physical phenomena in the wall. The approach is tested on a thermographic dataset captured on the façade of a Romanesque building from the 13th century—the Cathedral in Matera (Italy).