Monitoring Horizontal Movement of Top of a Spire in Saint Mary Cathedral of Burgos via Computer Vision

A novel computer vision-based method enables precise, long-term monitoring of horizontal movements in historical structures with high accuracy (±0.1 mm) and low cost. Applied to Burgos Cathedral's south spire, it captured slow movements from thermal events and structural degradation, outperforming traditional sensors. The system achieved sub-millimeter precision at 5 Hz frequency, with even higher accuracy at lower sampling rates (e.g., ±0.1 mm at 1/10 Hz). Real-world validation confirmed its robustness for tracking subtle shifts caused by environmental factors like wind and temperature fluctuations, as well as human activities such as bell ringing.

Vicente, M. A., Mena, Á., Mínguez, J., & González, D. C. (2022). Monitoring Horizontal Movement of Top of a Spire in Saint Mary Cathedral of Burgos via Computer Vision. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 17(9), 1405–1427. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2022.2038721