The computerization of archaeology: survey on AI techniques

This paper analyses the application of artificial intelligence techniques to various areas of archaeology and more specifically: a) The use of software tools as a creative stimulus for the organization of exhibitions; the use of humanoid robots and holographic displays as guides that interact and involve museum visitors; b) The analysis of methods for the classification of fragments found in archaeological excavations and for the reconstruction of ceramics, with the recomposition of the parts of text missing from historical documents and epigraphs; c) The cataloguing and study of human remains to understand the social and historical context of belonging with the demonstration of the effectiveness of the AI techniques used; d) The detection of particularly difficult terrestrial archaeological sites with the analysis of the architectures of the Artificial Neural Networks most suitable for solving the problems presented by the site; the design of a study for the exploration of marine archaeological sites, located at depths that cannot be reached by man, through the construction of a freely explorable 3D version

Augmented and Virtual Reality for the promotion of the cultural heritage: analysis of museum mission and visitor experience

The thesis discusses the role of Augmented and Virtual Reality technology for the promotion of the cultural heritage, considering both the museum mission and the visitor experience. The research framework represents an integration of the Contextual Model of Learning developed in the field of Museum Visitor Studies, and the cultural-historical Activity Theory, so to consider the different human, environmental and technological dimensions that determine the visitor experience. The research includes two studies. The first study is a qualitative investigation performed at the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome, in order to explore the "design for use" and the "design in use", by collecting data through ethnographic methods and analyzing data through the Service Design Thinking methodology. The second study is an investigation of the museum audience performed using an online questionnaire, to complement and validate the results from study 1. The thesis discusses the results related to the technology as engagement factor, the artifacts ecology and the social interaction among visitors

Information augmented museum visit device

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-46).This thesis tries to develop a new museum guide device with the combination functions of digital cameras and palms as a tool that maps information onto digital images to support a real-time contextualized learning that goes beyond separate out-of-task-context learning and existing museum guide modes. In order to perform a self-directed, interest-triggering learning process, one needs to gain information from both personal experiences and museum databases. By keeping a continuous personal experience between different journeys, an individual could bring his own knowledge and history into relation with museum databases to support a dynamic information access during museum visits and after the visits. However, existing guide devices and their applications do not fully exploit the potential of real-time learning generated by wireless and mobile technology. This study proposes a tool, which encourages personal-controlled learning during museum visits by mapping dynamic information layer into physical space. The visitor " gets object-oriented knowledge and a coherent experience through the exploration into the information space with the movement in the physical space both real-time and after the visit.by Xingchen Wang.S.M

A MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS: A DIGITAL TOOL FOR THE ROYAL ARMOURIES

This report, prepared for the Royal Armouries Education Center located at Her Majesty\u27s Tower of London, describes the creation of three tools to assist archiving and exhibiting of information contained in the White Tower. The tools include a digital archive, a virtual tour, and a virtual Line of Kings exhibit. This project responds to the Royal Armouries\u27 staff\u27s requests for an updated archive and an increase in accessibility by providing better-maintained exhibit records and online access to the White Tower

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Pattern language : clothing as communicator

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-70).This thesis is an exploration of the ways in which interactive features in the virtual space can be developed to complement physical museum exhibitions, as well as create opportunities for museums to reach broader audiences. I provide a critical analysis of current online museum exhibition features and how they support museum curatorial missions. As a case study, I describe from the viewpoint of a participant/observer, the design and development of the Web site for the exhibition Pattern Language: Clothing as Communicator at Art Interactive.by Moneta Kwok-Ching Ho.S.M

Full Journal

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) engages with a variety of important policy issues through linking social science data with spatial analysis and by demonstrating the importance of applied GIS in both the public and private sector. GIS, though commonly used in the realms of city planning and natural resource analysis, have a far broader range of applications ranging from analysis of ancient community interactions to modern social media data

Crowdsourcing Scientific Work: A Comparative Study of Technologies, Processes, and Outcomes in Citizen Science

Citizen science projects involve the public with scientists in collaborative research. Information and communication technologies for citizen science can enable massive virtual collaborations based on voluntary contributions by diverse participants. As the popularity of citizen science increases, scientists need a more thorough understanding of how project design and implementation decisions affect scientific outcomes. Applying a comparative case study methodology, the study investigated project organizers\u27 perspectives and experiences in Mountain Watch, the Great Sunflower Project, and eBird, three observation-based ecological citizen science projects in different scientific domains. Five themes are highlighted in the findings: the influence of project design approaches that favor science versus lifestyle; project design and organizing implications of engaging communities of practice; relationships between physical environment, technologies, participant experiences, and data quality; the constraints and affordances of information and communication technologies; and the relationship of resources and sustainability to institutions and scale of participation. This research contributes an empirically-grounded theoretical model of citizen science projects, with comparative analysis that produced new insights into the design of technologies and processes to support public participation in the production of scientific knowledge

A User-Centered Approach to Landing Page Optimization in a Software-as-a-Service Business

There are two essential steps in the digital marketing process: acquisition and conversion. Acquisition describes the efforts of getting a potential buyer to visit a business's website. Conversion is concerned with convincing that prospect, who has arrived on a website, to take a desired action, thus to convert. The process of improving conversions is called conversion rate optimization (CRO). While marketers increasingly understand the importance of optimizing their website for conversion, often CRO is only done in a quantitative way, relying on web metrics and visitor behavior. This limited approach does not consider the reasons behind visitors' behavior, their underlying needs and way of thinking when evaluating products and services online. Yet, those reasons are crucial to understand when optimizing for conversion. The objective of this study is to investigate how methods from user-centered design can aid in uncovering the needs and thought process of website visitors evaluating a Software-as-a-Service solution online. Additionally, the visitor's overall buying process is studied. The study is conducted as semi-structured interviews and retrospective testing with six recent website visitors interested in the SaaS service. Thematic analysis and customer journey mapping are used to analyze the interview data. The results indicate that visitor needs are mostly connected to inquiring service-related information, such as performance or features, as well as the pricing range. Additionally, aspects such as ease of getting started, service flexibility and quality support had a strong influence. It was found that most of these aspects are typical for successful SaaS solutions. The overall decision making process of choosing a SaaS solution proved to be fairly unstructured. However, being present in the minds of potential customers before they feel the need to search for solutions actively seems to be crucial in order to be considered. In addition to that, the first impression of a business's online presence also largely impacts visitor trust and consideration. Regarding the final decision making, it is to be noted that technical visitors are strong influencers but the final provider selection is a collaborative effort. Concerning the page itself, visitor conversion is generally favored when presenting relevant content to visitors in relevant order, while leaving out irrelevant content