Reconciling the dissonance between Historic Preservation and Virtual Reality through a Place-based Virtual Heritage system.

This study explores a problematic disconnect associated with virtual heritage and the immersive 3D computer modeling of cultural heritage. The products of virtual heritage often fail to adhere to long-standing principles and recent international conventions associated with historic preservation, heritage recording, designation, and interpretation. By drawing upon the geographic concepts of space, landscape, and place, along with advances in Geographic Information Systems, first-person serious games, and head-mounted Virtual Reality platforms this study envisions, designs, implements, and evaluates a virtual heritage system that seeks to reconcile the dissonance between Virtual Reality and historic preservation. Finally, the dissertation examines the contributions and future directions of such a Place-based Virtual Heritage system in human geography and historic preservation planning and interpretation

Digital 3D Technologies for Humanities Research and Education: An Overview

Digital 3D modelling and visualization technologies have been widely applied to support research in the humanities since the 1980s. Since technological backgrounds, project opportunities, and methodological considerations for application are widely discussed in the literature, one of the next tasks is to validate these techniques within a wider scientific community and establish them in the culture of academic disciplines. This article resulted from a postdoctoral thesis and is intended to provide a comprehensive overview on the use of digital 3D technologies in the humanities with regards to (1) scenarios, user communities, and epistemic challenges; (2) technologies, UX design, and workflows; and (3) framework conditions as legislation, infrastructures, and teaching programs. Although the results are of relevance for 3D modelling in all humanities disciplines, the focus of our studies is on modelling of past architectural and cultural landscape objects via interpretative 3D reconstruction methods

Coastal Cultural Heritage Protection in the United States, France and the United Kingdom

Exacerbated by climate change, sea levels are rising rapidly. This poses a significant, immediate threat to coastal or riverine urban areas and the tangible cultural heritage (e.g. artifacts, buildings, monuments, archaeological sites) that makes them unique. Protecting coastal cultural resources from climate change is quickly becoming a global priority, and comparing cultural heritage laws designed to protect historic resources in coastal areas from several countries may illuminate potential paths forward. Following a brief discussion of the economic and public health benefits arising from the protection of cultural heritage, this article describes, examines, and compares the legal frameworks through which the United States, France, and the United Kingdom address cultural heritage protection in coastal areas. Several case studies from each country are also presented to demonstrate different preservation initiatives

Integrity in government through records management

The archives and records management profession is highly specialised and relatively small: this can be isolating for many records professionals. The International Council on Archives (ICA) has developed itself into the international champion for the sector. The extensive network of collaboration also welcomed the Association of Commonwealth Archivists and Records Managers (ACARM) set up in 1984. This organisation has protected and facilitated the work of archivists and records managers in Commonwealth counties. This article maps the history of this organisation, its challenges and targets and the plans for the future.peer-reviewe

Geometric and Optic Characterization of a Hemispherical Dome Port for Underwater Photogrammetry

The popularity of automatic photogrammetric techniques has promoted many experiments in underwater scenarios leading to quite impressive visual results, even by non-experts. Despite these achievements, a deep understanding of camera and lens behaviors as well as optical phenomena involved in underwater operations is fundamental to better plan field campaigns and anticipate the achievable results. The paper presents a geometric investigation of a consumer grade underwater camera housing, manufactured by NiMAR and equipped with a 7'' dome port. After a review of flat and dome ports, the work analyzes, using simulations and real experiments, the main optical phenomena involved when operating a camera underwater. Specific aspects which deal with photogrammetric acquisitions are considered with some tests in laboratory and in a swimming pool. Results and considerations are shown and commented

Monitoring and conservation of archaeological wooden elements from ship wrecks using 3D digital imaging

In marine archaeology, many artifacts made of metallic or organic material are found in different state of conservation depending of the environment in which they are discovered. Once brought to the surface for study or display purposes, the artifacts need to be treated properly otherwise they deteriorate in a short lapse of time. The fragility of organic artifacts and the volumetric variation caused by the marine life on or surrounding them and water lead to the need for measuring the physical dimensions soon after an artifact is extracted from the sea. In an ideal context, it would be appropriate to preserve and restore the archaeological elements rapidly and with the latest methods but due to the large number of artifacts, the cost of complete restoration activities becomes prohibitive for the funding available in public institutions. For this reason, many public laboratories are resorting to digital technologies for documentation, restoration, display and conservation. In this paper, we illustrate the experience of the University of Salento in this area of archaeology using 3D imaging technology. The interest sprang from the need to develop a protocol for documentation and digital restoration of archaeological finds discovered along the coast of Torre S. Sabina (BR) Italy

Harder – Better – Faster – Stronger? Roman Archaeology and the Challenge of ‘Big Data’.

This paper deals with the integration of large data sets in Roman archaeological research. Starting with an an overview of the definition of the term and its use in the humanities and in Roman archaeology, the paper then traces the use of big data in four sub-fields of Roman archaeology: pottery studies/Samian ware, zooarchaeology, numismatics, and landscape archaeology. Finally, the sub-fields are compared, and recommendations are offered for future data-driven research. Three conclusions can be drawn. 1. The managing and understanding of ever-increasing datasets has been a dominant theme of the last 40–50 years in Roman archaeology but possibly has not been explicitly discussed. 2. Many databases are concerned with only one specific unit or artefact genre, thus reinforcing a certain ‘siloisation’. 3. Data-driven Roman archaeology has the potential to challenge existing narratives and even act as a corrective for traditional frameworks or narratives

HBIM development of a brazilian modern architecture icon: glass house by Lina Bo Bardi

Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House (Casa de Vidro) is a National Historic Landmark designed and built in the late 1940s in São Paulo, Brazil. The house is one of the symbols of modern Brazilian mid-century architecture. It is a historiographical reference of the history of modern architecture in Brazil. This article reports the experience, outcomes, challenges, benefits, and limitations of the Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) process. The HBIM was developed for Lina’s Glass House considering the following steps: modeling planning; data acquisition; model elaboration; recording of pathologies and damage; data management; documentation process. The HBIM developed includes historical information and geometric data from direct measurements, laser scanning, photographic survey, and pathologies documentation. The model allows professionals responsible for architecture, conservation, and restoration to access integrated information on projects and the current condition of the buildings easily and quickly. Good precision was achieved for important building elements, contributing to maintenance and restoration actions. This experience allowed the development of an integrated workflow of activities for collecting, processing, recording, and managing information that may serve as a baseline for future projects for the documentation of modernist buildings231927194

Share - Publish - Store - Preserve. Methodologies, Tools and Challenges for 3D Use in Social Sciences and Humanities

Through this White Paper, which gathers contributions from experts of 3D data as well as professionals concerned with the interoperability and sustainability of 3D research data, the PARTHENOS project aims at highlighting some of the current issues they have to face, with possible specific points according to the discipline, and potential practices and methodologies to deal with these issues. During the workshop, several tools to deal with these issues have been introduced and confronted with the participants experiences, this White Paper now intends to go further by also integrating participants feedbacks and suggestions of potential improvements. Therefore, even if the focus is put on specific tools, the main goal is to contribute to the development of standardized good practices related to the sharing, publication, storage and long-term preservation of 3D data