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Heritage documentation is an important aspect in any conservation effort. Apart from the traditional 2D drawings and photographs, digital 3D documentation of historical sites currently presents a useful tool in the analysis and interpretation of historic buildings, as well as its eventual reconstruction in the event of damage. This is more important in the presence of important threats, both natural and anthropological.

Digital documentation uses various sensors in capturing the reality. This may be done either by image-based or range-based techniques. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages; as such, it is not rare to see the combination of both techniques in a thorough documentation project.

The Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) is a range-based system that enables the acquisition of many points in a short period of time and has seen much use in the field of heritage documentation. As regards to image-based techniques, photogrammetry has in recent times seen important leaps, and even more so with the advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones. Both range-based and image-based techniques generate dense point clouds from which derivative geospatial products may be generated.

The activity of measurement and mapping, as well as that of documentation, to date often still uses simple techniques by utilising meters, electronic angle and distance measuring devices, 2D sketches, or standard photography without further photogrammetric processing. In order to generate a documentation which is not only visually correct, but also geometrically accurate, a dimensional measurement is required. This dimensional measurement can then be used to draw two dimensional profiles or three dimensional models. In particular, 3D representation is suggested for archaeological object documentation. In the Recommendations of the 1995 International Conference on Culture and Tourism (ICCT) number V, the use of information technology in the development of cultural tourism is mentioned as important in parallel with the development of human resources and research.