From "models" to "reality", and return. Some reflections on the interaction between survey and interpretative methods for built heritage conservation

It's well known that more and more accurate methodologies and automatic tools are now available in the field of geometric survey and image processing and they constitute a fundamental instrument for cultural heritage knowledge and preservation on the other side, very smart and precise numerical models are continuously improved and used in order to simulate the mechanical behaviour of masonry structures: both instruments and technologies are important part of a global process of knowledge which is at the base of any conservation project of cultural heritage. Despite the high accuracy and automation level reached by both technologies and programs, the transfer of data between them is not an easy task and defining the most reliable way to translate and exchange information without data loosing is still an open issue. The goal of the present paper is to analyse the complex process of translation from the very precise (and sometimes redundant) information obtainable by the modern survey methodologies for historic buildings (as laser scanner), into the very simplified (may be too much) schemes used to understand their real structural behaviour, with the final aim to contribute to the discussion on reliable methods for cultural heritage knowledge improvement, through empiricism.