A virtual logbook for the documentation of a continuously changing archaeological site: the San Clemente site in Albenga (Italy)

Abstract

<p>Cultural and built heritage is nowadays recognized as a value not only in the socio-cultural field but also as an important economic driver. However, this non-renewable resource is more and more threatened by both external and internal factors and only by raising awareness on the vulnerability of cultural heritage we can lead to a real involvement of citizen to heritage site protection. In this sense, Virtual Museums (VMs), and more in general virtual technologies, can have a primary role to attract tourists and citizens. Indeed, VMs by presenting cultural concepts by using amusing and engaging techniques may reach younger generations in an easier way. In this paper, the specific case of the San Clemente archaeological site (Albenga, Italy) is addressed. Being the site in the riverbed of the Centa, it undergoes frequent flooding events causing continuously new damages to the archaeological site. The development of a virtual logbook of the site is presented along with the pre-processing steps that are necessary for the preparation of the published material. The logbook is addressed on one side to professionals (i.e. archaeologists and practitioners in cultural heritage) with the main aim of providing a tool for quick damage assessment. On the other side, a mobile app is on development for tourists and citizens allowing virtual exportation of the site and providing informative contents about it.</p><p><strong>Highlights:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Virtual museums and virtual environments are fundamental tools to raise awareness about the vulnerability of archaeological sites.</p></li><li><p>This paper presents the development of a virtual logbook, that can be used by experts and tourists, for the archaeological site of San Clemente (Albenga).</p></li><li><p>Integration of data coming from different sources is rendered into a web environment that can be easily accessed from both desktop and mobile devices.</p></li></ul>