Using mobile augmented reality and web-based visualization technologies for Interactive exploration of cultural heritage: The case of sphinx sculpture

Kültürel mirasın korunması, dijital dokümantasyonu ve sürdürülebilir bir anlayışla gelecek nesillere aktarılması uluslararası toplumların önceliklerinden biri haline gelmiştir. Fotogrametri tekniği kültürel mirasın dijital dokümantasyonunda başarıyla kullanılmıştır. Fotogrametri, dijitalleştirme, 3 boyutlu (3B) modelleme, görselleştirme ve simülasyon alanındaki son gelişmeler, dijital kültürel mirasın daha geniş yelpazede erişilebilirliği için yeni fırsatlar sunmaktadır. Fotogrametri, artırılmış gerçeklik (AG) ve web tabanlı görselleştirmenin kombinasyonu, kültürel mirasın etkileşimli sunumu için büyük bir potansiyele sahiptir. Bu çalışmada, fotogrametrik modellere dayalı mobil AG ve web tabanlı görselleştirme uygulamaları için bir iş akışı geliştirerek kültürel miras bağlamında sanal, interaktif ve sürükleyici bir deneyim oluşturulması amaçlanmıştır. Önerilen iş akışı, Kütahya Arkeoloji Müzesi’nde sergilenen Sfenks Heykeline uygulanmıştır. Fotogrametrik yöntem ile elde edilen 3B model optimize edilerek, AG ve web tabanlı görselleştirme uygulamaları için hazırlanmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçları, AG, web tabanlı görselleştirme ve fotogrametri sinerjisinin kültürel mirasın etkileşimli olarak sunumu için büyük bir imkân sağladığını doğrulamıştır. Çalışmada tanımlanan araştırma çizgileri daha kapsayıcı kültürel miras ortamları oluşturmak daha keyifli ve zenginleştirici turizm deneyimi sağlamak amacıyla yeni fırsatlar sunmaktadır.The conservation of cultural heritage, digital documentation and transferring it to future generations with a sustainable understanding has become one of the priorities of international societies. Photogrammetry technique has been successfully used in digital documentation of cultural heritage. Recent developments in photogrammetry, digitalization, 3 dimensional (3D) modeling, visualization and simulation offer new opportunities for wider accessibility of digital cultural heritage. The combination of photogrammetry, augmented reality (AR) and web-based visualization has great potential for interactive presentation of cultural heritage. In this study, it was aimed to create a virtual, interactive and immersive experience in the context of cultural heritage by developing a workflow for mobile AR and web-based visualization applications based on photogrammetric models. The proposed workflow has been applied to the Sphinx Sculpture exhibited in the Kütahya Archeology Museum. The 3D model created by photogrammetric method has been optimized and prepared for AR and web-based visualization applications. The results of the study confirmed that the synergy of AR, web-based visualization and photogrammetry provides a great opportunity for interactive presentation of cultural heritage. The research lines defined in the study offer new opportunities to create more inclusive cultural heritage environments to provide a more enjoyable and enriching tourism experience

Towards Smarter Management of Overtourism in Historic Centres Through Visitor-Flow Monitoring

Historic centres are highly regarded destinations for watching and even participating in diverse and unique forms of cultural expression. Cultural tourism, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is an important and consolidated tourism sector and its strong growth is expected to continue over the coming years. Tourism, the much dreamt of redeemer for historic centres, also represents one of the main threats to heritage conservation: visitors can dynamize an economy, yet the rapid growth of tourism often has negative effects on both built heritage and the lives of local inhabitants. Knowledge of occupancy levels and flows of visiting tourists is key to the efficient management of tourism; the new technologies—the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and geographic information systems (GIS)—when combined in interconnected networks represent a qualitative leap forward, compared to traditional methods of estimating locations and flows. A methodology is described in this paper for the management of tourism flows that is designed to promote sustainable tourism in historic centres through intelligent support mechanisms. As part of the Smart Heritage City (SHCITY) project, a collection system for visitors is developed. Following data collection via monitoring equipment, the analysis of a set of quantitative indicators yields information that can then be used to analyse visitor flows; enabling city managers to make management decisions when the tourism-carrying capacity is exceeded and gives way to overtourism.Funded by the Interreg Sudoe Programme of the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF

Web-Based Visualization of Very Large Scientific Astronomy Imagery

Visualizing and navigating through large astronomy images from a remote location with current astronomy display tools can be a frustrating experience in terms of speed and ergonomics, especially on mobile devices. In this paper, we present a high performance, versatile and robust client-server system for remote visualization and analysis of extremely large scientific images. Applications of this work include survey image quality control, interactive data query and exploration, citizen science, as well as public outreach. The proposed software is entirely open source and is designed to be generic and applicable to a variety of datasets. It provides access to floating point data at terabyte scales, with the ability to precisely adjust image settings in real-time. The proposed clients are light-weight, platform-independent web applications built on standard HTML5 web technologies and compatible with both touch and mouse-based devices. We put the system to the test and assess the performance of the system and show that a single server can comfortably handle more than a hundred simultaneous users accessing full precision 32 bit astronomy data.Comment: Published in Astronomy & Computing. IIPImage server available from http://iipimage.sourceforge.net . Visiomatic code and demos available from http://www.visiomatic.org

Computer-based library or computer-based learning?

Traditionally, libraries have played the role of repository of published information resources and, more recently, gateway to online subscription databases. The library online catalog and digital library interface serve an intermediary function to help users locate information resources available through the library. With competition from Web search engines and Web portals of various kinds available for free, the library has to step up to play a more active role as guide and coach to help users make use of information resources for learning or to accomplish particular tasks. It is no longer sufficient for computer-based library systems to provide just search and access functions. They must provide the functionality and environment to support learning and become computer-based learning systems. This paper examines the kind of learning support that can be incorporated in library online catalogs and digital libraries, including 1) enhanced support for information browsing and synthesis through linking by shared meta-data, references and concepts; 2) visualization of related information; 3) adoption of Library 2.0 and social technologies; 4) adoption of Library 3.0 technologies including intelligent processing and text mining

Infrastructures for digital research: new opportunities and challenges

No abstract available

Evocative computing – creating meaningful lasting experiences in connecting with the past

We present an approach – evocative computing – that demonstrates how ‘at hand’ technologies can be ‘picked up’ and used by people to create meaningful and lasting experiences, through connecting and interacting with the past. The approach is instantiated here through a suite of interactive technologies configured for an indoor-outdoor setting that enables groups to explore, discover and research the history and background of a public cemetery. We report on a two-part study where different groups visited the cemetery and interacted with the digital tools and resources. During their activities serendipitous uses of the technology led to connections being made between personal memo-ries and ongoing activities. Furthermore, these experiences were found to be long-lasting; a follow-up study, one year later, showed them to be highly memorable, and in some cases leading participants to take up new directions in their work. We discuss the value of evocative computing for enriching user experiences and engagement with heritage practices

Serious Games in Cultural Heritage

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented

Robots for Exploration, Digital Preservation and Visualization of Archeological Sites

Monitoring and conservation of archaeological sites are important activities necessary to prevent damage or to perform restoration on cultural heritage. Standard techniques, like mapping and digitizing, are typically used to document the status of such sites. While these task are normally accomplished manually by humans, this is not possible when dealing with hard-to-access areas. For example, due to the possibility of structural collapses, underground tunnels like catacombs are considered highly unstable environments. Moreover, they are full of radioactive gas radon that limits the presence of people only for few minutes. The progress recently made in the artificial intelligence and robotics field opened new possibilities for mobile robots to be used in locations where humans are not allowed to enter. The ROVINA project aims at developing autonomous mobile robots to make faster, cheaper and safer the monitoring of archaeological sites. ROVINA will be evaluated on the catacombs of Priscilla (in Rome) and S. Gennaro (in Naples)