Report on shape analysis and matching and on semantic matching

In GRAVITATE, two disparate specialities will come together in one working platform for the archaeologist: the fields of shape analysis, and of metadata search. These fields are relatively disjoint at the moment, and the research and development challenge of GRAVITATE is precisely to merge them for our chosen tasks. As shown in chapter 7 the small amount of literature that already attempts join 3D geometry and semantics is not related to the cultural heritage domain. Therefore, after the project is done, there should be a clear ‘before-GRAVITATE’ and ‘after-GRAVITATE’ split in how these two aspects of a cultural heritage artefact are treated.This state of the art report (SOTA) is ‘before-GRAVITATE’. Shape analysis and metadata description are described separately, as currently in the literature and we end the report with common recommendations in chapter 8 on possible or plausible cross-connections that suggest themselves. These considerations will be refined for the Roadmap for Research deliverable.Within the project, a jargon is developing in which ‘geometry’ stands for the physical properties of an artefact (not only its shape, but also its colour and material) and ‘metadata’ is used as a general shorthand for the semantic description of the provenance, location, ownership, classification, use etc. of the artefact. As we proceed in the project, we will find a need to refine those broad divisions, and find intermediate classes (such as a semantic description of certain colour patterns), but for now the terminology is convenient – not least because it highlights the interesting area where both aspects meet.On the ‘geometry’ side, the GRAVITATE partners are UVA, Technion, CNR/IMATI; on the metadata side, IT Innovation, British Museum and Cyprus Institute; the latter two of course also playing the role of internal users, and representatives of the Cultural Heritage (CH) data and target user’s group. CNR/IMATI’s experience in shape analysis and similarity will be an important bridge between the two worlds for geometry and metadata. The authorship and styles of this SOTA reflect these specialisms: the first part (chapters 3 and 4) purely by the geometry partners (mostly IMATI and UVA), the second part (chapters 5 and 6) by the metadata partners, especially IT Innovation while the joint overview on 3D geometry and semantics is mainly by IT Innovation and IMATI. The common section on Perspectives was written with the contribution of all

3D-mallintaminen kulttuurihistoriallisten museoiden toiminnan tukena

Tutkimus käsittelee museoesineiden 3D-mallien hyödyntämistapoja kulttuurihistoriallisissa museoissa. 3D-mallintaminen on museoalalla nousussa oleva ilmiö, joka tuo alalle uusia keinoja käsitellä kulttuuriperintöä. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu tieteellisistä artikkeleista, joissa esitellään 3D-mallintamista sisältäviä tutkimuksia ja projekteja. Aineiston avulla tarkastellaan kulttuurihistoriallisten museoiden tapoja hyödyntää 3D-teknologiaa museoiden eri osa-alueilla, kuten näyttelyissä, työpajoissa, kokoelmanhallinnassa ja tutkimuksessa. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan, miten 3D-mallintaminen tukee museoiden tehtävää ja tarkoitusta, sekä havainnollistetaan 3D-teknologian runsaita mahdollisuuksia museokentällä. 3D-teknologian sisällyttäminen museoihin lisää museokävijöiden kiinnostusta näyttelyiden teemoihin, eikä hyvin toteutettu 3D-teknologia vähennä fyysisten kokoelmien arvoa. 3D-teknologia tukee fyysisiä kokoelmia, ja auttaa turvaamaan arvokkaan kulttuuriperinnön säilymistä, jos kokoelmia tai yksittäisiä esineitä kohtaisi onnettomuus tai ajan myötä tapahtuva tuhoutuminen. 3D-mallintamalla voi lisätä esimerkiksi koskettamisen mahdollisuutta museoissa, mikä parantaa saavutettavuutta erityisesti näkövammaisten kohdalla. 3D-mallien lisäämisen museoihin tulee kuitenkin olla harkittua, sillä mikä tahansa ratkaisu ei tee museosta saavutettavaa. 3D-teknologia voi myös luoda teknologiakuiluja eri kohderyhmien välille, varsinkin jos toteutus on monimutkaisesti käytettävissä. Aineiston perusteella museokävijät vaikuttavat suosivan varsinkin interaktiivisuutta sisältäviä 3D-teknologian toteutuksia, kuten lisättyä todellisuutta ja mahdollisuutta koskea 3D-tulosteisiin. 3D-teknologian sisällyttäminen osaksi museoiden arkipäivää auttaa museoita toteuttamaan tehtäväänsä nykyaikaisten standardien mukaisesti, edistäen varsinkin saavutettavuutta, tutkimusta, tiedon saatavuutta ja kulttuuriperinnön säilyttämistä

A 3D Digital Approach to the Stylistic and Typo-Technological Study of Small Figurines from Ayia Irini, Cyprus

The thesis aims to develop a 3D digital approach to the stylistic and typo-technological study of coroplastic, focusing on small figurines. The case study to test the method is a sample of terracotta statuettes from an assemblage of approximately 2000 statues and figurines found at the beginning of the 20th century in a rural open-air sanctuary at Ayia Irini (Cyprus) by the archaeologists of the Swedish Cyprus Expedition. The excavators identified continuity of worship at the sanctuary from the Late Cypriot III (circa 1200 BC) to the end of the Cypro-Archaic II period (ca. 475 BC). They attributed the small figurines to the Cypro-Archaic I-II. Although the excavation was one of the first performed through the newly established stratigraphic method, the archaeologists studied the site and its material following a traditional, merely qualitative approach. Theanalysis of the published results identified a classification of the material with no-clear-cut criteria, and their overlap between types highlights ambiguities in creating groups and classes. Similarly, stratigraphic arguments and different opinions among archaeologists highlight the need for revising. Moreover, pastlegislation allowed the excavators to export half of the excavated antiquities, creating a dispersion of the assemblage. Today, the assemblage is still partly exhibited at the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia and in four different museums in Sweden. Such a setting prevents to study, analyse and interpret the assemblageholistically. This research proposes a 3D chaîne opératoire methodology to study the collection’s small terracotta figurines, aiming to understand the context’s function and social role as reflected by the classification obtained with the 3D digital approach. The integration proposed in this research of traditional archaeological studies, and computer-assisted investigation based on quantitative criteria, identified and defined with 3D measurements and analytical investigations, is adopted as a solution to the biases of a solely qualitative approach. The 3D geometric analysis of the figurines focuses on the objects’ shape and components, mode of manufacture, level of expertise, specialisation or skills of the craftsman and production techniques. The analysis leads to the creation of classes of artefacts which allow archaeologists to formulate hypotheses on the production process, identify a common production (e.g., same hand, same workshop) and establish a relative chronological sequence. 3D reconstruction of the excavation’s area contributes to the virtual re-unification of the assemblage for its holistic study, the relative chronological dating of the figurines and the interpretation of their social and ritual purposes. The results obtained from the selected sample prove the efficacy of the proposed 3D approach and support the expansion of the analysis to the whole assemblage, and possibly initiate quantitative and systematic studies on Cypriot coroplastic production