Nevis Digital Twin: Photogrammetry and Immersive Visualization of Historical Sites
Publication Date
1-1-2026
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Title
Proceedings 2026 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops Vrw 2026
DOI
10.1109/VRW70859.2026.00008
First Page
5
Last Page
9
Abstract
In this work, we present a multimodal data acquisition workflow for the digital preservation and virtual reconstruction of at-risk historical sites in the island of Nevis. Facing threats from coastal erosion, rising sea levels, and aggressive vegetation, the archaeological heritage of Nevis requires documentation strategies that bridge the gap between high-cost professional surveying and consumer accessibility. Experimental test compared acquisition variables, specifically camera height (1 m vs. 3 m) and operator trajectory against highresolution control data. Moreover, we explore the virtual reconstruction between mesh reconstruction and 3D gaussian splatting to serve as different modalities for documentation. The resulting data is fused into immersive virtual reality (VR) environments, offering a scalable, non-proprietary model for democratizing digital heritage in the Caribbean.
Funding Sponsor
San José State University
Keywords
gaussian splatting, photogrammetry, Virtual reality, virtual reconstruction
Department
Computer Science
Recommended Citation
Alex Apffel, Huy Tran, and Vuthea Chheang. "Nevis Digital Twin: Photogrammetry and Immersive Visualization of Historical Sites" Proceedings 2026 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops Vrw 2026 (2026): 5-9. https://doi.org/10.1109/VRW70859.2026.00008
