Three-Dimensional Digital Documentation of Tornado-Damaged Heritage Buildings

• Published in: Journal of structural engineering (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 150; no. 10
• Main Authors: Kaushal, Saanchi S., Gutierrez Soto, Mariantonieta, Napolitano, Rebecca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York American Society of Civil Engineers 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Damage; Data collection; Data Paper; Data Papers; Disasters; Historic buildings & sites; Historical buildings; Historical structures; Impact analysis; Spatial data; Three dimensional models; Tornadoes
• ISSN: 0733-9445; 1943-541X
• DOI: 10.1061/JSENDH.STENG-13594

AbstractIn December 2021, an EF-4 tornado swept through several Midwest states in the United States, with Kentucky being the worst hit. Among the impacted towns was Mayfield, KY, where the historic buildings in downtown suffered significant damage. In response to this disaster, the authors conducted a reconnaissance mission to digitally document the affected historic structures. This involved capturing a series of three-dimensional (3D) point clouds, providing detailed spatial data about the impacted buildings. The resulting data set includes both the original raw data and processed information, now accessible via the DesignSafe open-access repository. This paper outlines the data collection process for the impacted buildings, and the steps undertaken to process it. The final product of this endeavor are the point clouds generated for the historic building typology, which included 10 historic buildings and 2 comparable religious buildings. These point clouds serve as invaluable resources for further analysis, aiding in understanding a disaster’s impact, and guiding restoration endeavors.