Fluorescence lidar technique for the remote sensing of stony materials in ancient buildings

Lidars have already been used as an effective tool for the monitoring of marine environment and vegetation. In this paper the data relative to the first fluorescence lidar experiments on the facades of historical buildings are presented and discussed. The lidar fluorescence spectra presented in this paper were detected with a high spectral resolution fluorescence lidar on the Baptistery of Parma and mainly refer to the coatings of Ammonitico Rosso Veronese, a calcareous stone widely employed as decorative material for its colour and typical texture. These data were also compared to the lidar spectra of samples coming from different sites situated in the extraction areas historically known from the archives and from sites in an area exploited only quite recently. The results constitute a first step towards a completely non destructive spectral analysis directly on the surfaces of the historical buildings. KEYWORDS: limestones, fluorescence lidars, cultural heritage, LIF technique.