Digital surface model based on aerial image stereo pairs for 3D building

There is an increasing demand for 3D city models for many applications and users worldwide. Fez is one of the most important tourism locations in Morocco and is a challenge for 3D city modeling due to its complex buildings and road structure. Due to its importance this Historic Medina of Fez was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. It is located in the northern part of Morocco. In this work, we discuss the construction of a digital surface model based on aerial image stereo pairs using matching method and the use of this DSM for 3D city planning. We used aerial photographs with high accuracy (1/4000) covering the study area acquired in 2007 and additional cartographic data from Fez. 3D land use zoning allowed building volumes, usage, and density. They are the main tools defining the image of a city and bring into focus the model of best practice of the rehabilitation and conservation of the historic Medina.