E-heritage : the future for integrated applications in cultural heritage

A number of factors are combining to change the structure and contents of documentation of cultural heritage: 1) the exponential growth in data generated by imaging techniques makes it possible for a site or an artifact to be recorded at a resolution of over 16 megapixels and at a density of several hundred million cloud points; 2) high-resolution imaging is becoming more affordable and/or available; 3) the economics and legal constraints of conservation practice are gradually pushing towards more stringent documentation standards; 4) improved communications infrastructure and mobile computing facilities are changing the way that data is recorded, processed, stored and – inevitably - used; 5) increasingly available computerized expert systems will be integrated into the very systems that conservators and documentation specialists carry around with them or access on a daily basis; 6) the advent of web-based systems will afford super-computer processing power and large-system database handling to the documentation specialist and the conservator in the field and permit greater flexibility for teleworking; 7) Computerised Project-based Management techniques will gradually spread from the realm of large institutions to SME’s and individual practitioners making digital image processing in architecture and archaeology more akin to the exchange of engineering drawings in automobile design industry. 8) The availability of cheap local or distributed processing power means that most of the above advantages will be present in both developed and developing countries. This paper explores. e-heritage as an integrated project which aims at providing a seamless yet structurally and inherently up-gradeable technological platform for all activities within cultural heritage conservation and management.peer-reviewe

Verification of micro-scale photogrammetry for smooth three-dimensional object measurement

By using sub-millimetre laser speckle pattern projection we show that photogrammetry systems are able to measure smooth three-dimensional objects with surface height deviations less than 1 μm. The projection of laser speckle patterns allows correspondences on the surface of smooth spheres to be found, and as a result, verification artefacts with low surface height deviations were measured. A combination of VDI/VDE and ISO standards were also utilised to provide a complete verification method, and determine the quality parameters for the system under test. Using the proposed method applied to a photogrammetry system, a 5 mm radius sphere was measured with an expanded uncertainty of 8.5 μm for sizing errors, and 16.6 μm for form errors with a 95 % confidence interval. Sphere spacing lengths between 6 mm and 10 mm were also measured by the photogrammetry system, and were found to have expanded uncertainties of around 20 μm with a 95 % confidence interval

Rejuvenation of metallic glasses by non-affine thermal strain.

When a spatially uniform temperature change is imposed on a solid with more than one phase, or on a polycrystal of a single, non-cubic phase (showing anisotropic expansion-contraction), the resulting thermal strain is inhomogeneous (non-affine). Thermal cycling induces internal stresses, leading to structural and property changes that are usually deleterious. Glasses are the solids that form on cooling a liquid if crystallization is avoided--they might be considered the ultimate, uniform solids, without the microstructural features and defects associated with polycrystals. Here we explore the effects of cryogenic thermal cycling on glasses, specifically metallic glasses. We show that, contrary to the null effect expected from uniformity, thermal cycling induces rejuvenation, reaching less relaxed states of higher energy. We interpret these findings in the context that the dynamics in liquids become heterogeneous on cooling towards the glass transition, and that there may be consequent heterogeneities in the resulting glasses. For example, the vibrational dynamics of glassy silica at long wavelengths are those of an elastic continuum, but at wavelengths less than approximately three nanometres the vibrational dynamics are similar to those of a polycrystal with anisotropic grains. Thermal cycling of metallic glasses is easily applied, and gives improvements in compressive plasticity. The fact that such effects can be achieved is attributed to intrinsic non-uniformity of the glass structure, giving a non-uniform coefficient of thermal expansion. While metallic glasses may be particularly suitable for thermal cycling, the non-affine nature of strains in glasses in general deserves further study, whether they are induced by applied stresses or by temperature change.This research was supported by the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan, by NSF China and MOST 973 China, and by the Engineering and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK (Materials World Network project). Y.H.S. acknowledges support from a China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature1467

An investigation of the relationship between lean and well-being based on the job demands-resources model

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how just-in-time (JIT)-related job demands, problem-solving job demands and soft lean practices (SLPs) jointly influence employee well-being in terms of work engagement and exhaustion. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the job demands-resources model, lean-related job characteristics were classified as resources or demands, and a set of hypotheses was developed to test their effect on work engagement and exhaustion, including the potential interaction between job resources and demands. The hypotheses were tested using moderated hierarchical regression and structural equation modelling, based on data from 138 workers. Findings: SLPs act as job resources in a lean company, increasing work engagement and reducing exhaustion. Conversely, JIT-related job demands act as a hindrance, reducing work engagement and increasing exhaustion. However, SLPs can reduce the effect of JIT-related job demands on exhaustion, and JIT-related job demands may enhance the positive effects of SLPs on work engagement. Research limitations/implications: The study provides no conclusive evidence on the hypothesized role of problem-solving as a challenge job demand. Practical implications: The results can guide practitioners\u2019 understanding of how to implement lean without harm to employee well-being. Originality/value: By employing a well-grounded psychological model to test the link between lean and well-being, the study finds quantitative support for: the buffering effect of SLPs on exhaustion caused by JIT-related job demands, and for the role of JIT as a hindrance. These novel findings have no precedent in previous survey-based research. In addition, it reveals the importance of studying SLPs at an individual level, as what matters is the extent to which workers perceive SLPs as useful and supportive

Development of a Real-time Laser Scanning System for Object Recognition, Inspection, and Robot Control

1 Introduction 1 F.R. Livingstone, L. King J.-A. Beraldin, M. Rioux Hymarc Ltd. Institute for Information Technology 38 Auriga Drive National Research Council Canada Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2E 8A5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6 A real-time laser scanner for object recognition, inspection, and robot control is presented in this paper. Range and intensity images are generated in perfect registration at a rate of 10 Mega-samples per second. Images have a resolution of 483 lines each having 512 pixels. Owing to its compatibility with the video standard RS-170, the range camera can be directly interfaced to an image processor through a video frame grabber with either an analog or digital input. The angular field of view is 30 30 . The stand-off distance is 0.5 m and the operational depth of field is 1 m. Furthermore, cooperative targets can be measured up to several meters away from the camera. The range resolution is 12 bits. Under normal operating conditions, a range precision of 0.2 m..

Model-based Calibration of a Range Camera

This paper introduces a new method for the calibration of a range camera based on active triangulation. The technique is based on a model derived from the geometry of the synchronized scanner. From known positions of a calibration bar, a logistic equation is fitted with values of spot positions read from a linear position detector at a number of angular positions of a scanning mirror. Furthermore, with an approximate form of the general equations describing the geometry, a series of design guidelines are derived to help a designer conduct a preliminary study of a particular range camera. Experimental results demonstrating the technique are found to compare favorably with theoretical predictions

NRC 3D Imaging Technology for Museum and Heritage Applications

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has developed and patented three high-resolution 3D imaging systems and processing algorithms which have been applied to a wide range of museum and heritage recording applications. The systems have been designed for different imaging applications and, in collaboration with a number of national and international museums and cultural agencies, have been used to scan a wide variety of objects and sites. The objective of this paper is to present a summary of the 3D technology and examples of its heritage applications.Le Conseil national de recherches du Canada (CNRC) a mis au point et brevet\uc3\ua9 trois algorithmes de traitement et syst\uc3\ua8mes d'imagerie 3D haute r\uc3\ua9solution qui ont \uc3\ua9t\uc3\ua9 utilis\uc3\ua9s dans toute une vari\uc3\ua9t\uc3\ua9 d'applications de relev\uc3\ua9 des richesses des mus\uc3\ua9es et du patrimoine. Ces syst\uc3\ua8mes ont \uc3\ua9t\uc3\ua9 con\uc3\ua7us en vue de diff\uc3\ua9rentes applications d'imagerie et ils ont \uc3\ua9t\uc3\ua9 utilis\uc3\ua9s, en collaboration avec un certain nombre d'organismes culturels et de mus\uc3\ua9es nationaux et internationaux, afin de num\uc3\ua9riser une grande vari\uc3\ua9t\uc3\ua9 d'objets et de sites. Cet article a pour but de pr\uc3\ua9senter un r\uc3\ua9sum\uc3\ua9 de la technologie 3D ainsi que des exemples de ses applications patrimoniales.NRC publication: Ye