Comparative study of two multispectral imaging systems on the 'arxiu valenci del disseny' interior design samples

Cultural heritage analysis using Multispectral (MSI) and Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) has grown significantly since the early 21st century. This boom has been related to the development of digital imaging, with the appearance of cheaper and easier-to-use tools. This paper presents a comparative study between two multispectral imaging systems applied to interior design watercolours from the Arxiu Valencia del Disseny (AVD) at the Universitat de Valencia (UV). For the comparison, the samples were registered with these two systems: one based on an adapted digital DSLR camera and another dedicated hyperspectral camera. One of the systems made it possible to combine multiband technical photography (TP) with MSI (405-920nm, 18 bands) and open-source software processing. The second, based on HSI in the VNIR region (400-1000nm, 204 bands), even though it was not preferable for art photographic registration, favoured the data acquisition and processing thanks to the proprietary software automatization mechanisms. Therefore, it was observed that spectral information, calibration, and data processing were more limited in one system than in the other. Finally, this comparison aims to expose considerations to take into account when purchasing this equipment, rating issues such as affordability, versatility of use, and obtaining data.