Digital Technologies for the Sustainable Development of the Accessible Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites

In recent years, the development in digital technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) has evolved rapidly. These technologies are currently in the process of creating driving change in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), representing innovative means to share information, facilitating access and increasing the value and public awareness on Cultural and Natural Heritage. This is particularly relevant for underwater environments, where the most interesting cultural and naturalistic sites are accessible only to scuba divers, or not accessible at all, due to depth and/or environmental constraints. In addition, in underwater sites, guided diving tours are carried out by professionals that usually describe the area to be visited during the predive briefings; such step is needed due to the impossibility of underwater verbal communication without dedicated equipment, a practice very rarely adopted for recreational diving. So, these difficulties make it almost impossible to replicate under the sea, the guided tour approach that is usually offered in on-land museums. Considering such limitations, several technological applications are emerging to increase the accessibility underwater and enrich users' experience both for divers and nondivers. This work aims to identify the potential of underwater sites (either cultural or natural) to support the development of sustainable tourism (economic, environmental, cultural and social) in the Mediterranean. Moreover, it focuses on supplying local/regional authorities and stakeholders with a multidisciplinary plan for managing Underwater Museums and Knowledge Centres, by promoting innovation in the diving industry and improving users'/tourists' experience through value-added services and cutting-edge technologies

A Multidisciplinary Approach for the Mapping, Automatic Detection and Morphometric Analysis of Ancient Submerged Coastal Installations: The Case Study of the Ancient Aegina Harbour Complex

International audienceThe documentation of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) is the basis for sustainable maritime development including its protection, preservation, and incorporation in coastal zone management plans. In this study, we present a multidisciplinary, non-intrusive downscale approach for the documentation of UCH implemented on the coastal area of Aegina Island, Greece, where a unique submerged harbour complex is preserved. This approach succeeded in obtaining information that serves both geomorphological and archaeological purposes in a time- and cost-effective way, while obtaining information of centimeters to millimeters scale. The geomorphology of the area was mapped in detail through marine geophysical means while ancient submerged conical rubble structures and breakwaters were documented using automatic seafloor segmentation techniques, revealing previously unknown sites of archaeological interest. The structures’ parameters were extracted from the acoustic data to analyze their morphometry, while photogrammetry was realized using a Remotely Operated Vehicle to expose their micro-structure. The spatial distribution of the structures revealed the construction of a well-planned harbour complex with multiple passages and different possible functionalities. Finally, through the structures’ morphometric analysis (geometry and terrain statistical parameters) their preservation status was revealed, demonstrating the anthropogenic impact on the submerged ancient structures due to the modern harbor activity