News

IGiG scientific seminar - Prof. Thomas P. Kersten

26-02-2025

IGiG is pleased to invite to a scientific seminar, which will take place on March 6, 2024 (Thursday) at 9:00 AM in the Room 100G (institute library), Grunwaldzka Street 53, Wrocław (Building C1). Prof. Thomas P. Kersten from HafenCity University Hamburg will give a talk on ”Historical 3D City Models as an Immersive Experience in Virtual Reality”.

Abstract: Virtual reality is becoming an affordable and interesting tool for visualisations in a variety of fields, including architecture, planning and monument preservation. This is due to the increasing power of 3D documentation and modelling technologies. Consequently, there is a growing need to develop efficient methods for the detailed creation of immersive virtual 3D environments. This technology is therefore becoming an attractive form of knowledge transfer for institutions such as museums and other cultural educational institutions, which often work within a tight budget.

The presentation sets out the various workflows for the creation of interactive, immersive virtual reality applications for four historical 3D city models of Germany: Segeberg 1644, Stade 1620, Duisburg 1588 and Hamburg 1024. The foundation for this endeavour lies in the acquisition of data through photogrammetric methods and laser scanning, complemented by historical maps and perspectives. The 3D point clouds, a by-product of this process, are then utilised to generate 3D models of the urban landscapes. These models are subsequently processed within a game engine, culminating in the creation of a virtual reality application.

Curriculum Vitae:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas P. Kersten
HafenCity University Hamburg, Lab for Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning,
Henning-Voscherau-Platz 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
E-Mail: Thomas.Kersten@hcu-hamburg.de
Phone: +49 (0)40 42827-5343
https://www.hcu-hamburg.de/bachelor/geo/professorinnen-und-professoren/thomas-p-kersten
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas-Kersten

Thomas P. Kersten (Head of Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning Lab at HafenCity University Hamburg) graduated from the University of Hannover (Germany) in Geodesy in 1988. From 1989 to 1995 he worked as a research and teaching assistant at the Institute of Geodesy and photogrammetry (Chair of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) at the ETH Zurich (Switzerland). From 1995 to 2000 he was Head of the Photogrammetry Department and Member of the Board of Swissphoto AG. Since 2001 he has been Professor of Photogrammetry & Practical Geodesy at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, and since 2006 he has held the same position as Professor of Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning at the HafenCity University Hamburg. In 2017 he completed his PhD at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany.

His main research interests are in the automation of 3D data acquisition and modelling, and sensor integration and calibration. Recent research has focused on virtual reality. Author of more than 240 scientific publications in journals and international conferences, he has organised ten scientific events in the field of geomatics and photogrammetry and three summer schools for cultural heritage documentation in Trondheim/Norway and archaeology in Vila Pouca de Aguiar/Portugal. He is a member of the German Society for Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation (DGPF), where he was editor of the journal PFG for four years, chairman of the working group "Optical 3D Measurement Techniques" for six years, and currently chairman of the working group "Virtual & Augmented Reality", as well as regular programme committee member of conferences and reviewer for related journals.