An AHP-based method for choosing the best 3D scanner for cultural heritage applications

In this paper, a method for determining the best choice of the 3D scanner for cultural heritage applications is presented. Generally speaking, this activity is not trivial since a 3D scanner that matches all the requirements of a typical preservation activity in cultural heritage does not exist. Thus, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the choice of compromise is typically performed in an unstructured way. In order to structure this choice, a method based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is proposed. In the proposed method, the three levels of the AHP hierarchy structure are the selection of the best 3D scanner for a specific cultural heritage application (goal), the most important technical parameters that mainly affect the choice of a 3D scanner (criteria), and the devices matching the required resolution (alternatives). Having defined the goal, prioritization of the type and quality of information is performed by the team leader of the research group (typically a skilled archaeologist), while the priority of the pairwise comparison among alternatives is decided by an expert on 3D scanners. The application of the proposed method in two contrasting situations concerning pottery fragments highlights its ease of use, its robustness (confirmed by the consistency analysis), and the completeness of the technical and economic assessment (since all relevant elements are taken into account), which put together, in a structured way, competences in very different fields (archaeology and 3D digital devices).