Digital Cultural Heritage Research Articles

Restoring Dunhuang Murals: Crafting Cultural Heritage Preservation Knowledge into Immersive Virtual Reality Experience Design

With the development of digital technology, tourists have higher expectations for their experiences with digital cultural heritage (CH). However, there is limited research and design guidelines on how to effectively convey expert knowledge and transfer the value and connotations of digital CH to users in a virtual environment. Based on existing literature, we proposed a systematic design strategy for immersive virtual reality (IVR) systems, incorporating multimodal interaction, gamification, and storytelling for CH presentation, development, and promotion to the public. Accordingly, taking the virtual restoration of the Dunhuang murals as an example, we developed an IVR system that provided users with learning, interactive, and entertaining experiences, facilitating their transition from mere visitors to active learners while engaging with digital CH. We conducted a between-subjects user study involving 42 participants. The results demonstrated that our IVR system motivated users interests in CH, promoted CH preservation awareness, and could be applied in the domain of digital CH experiences.

DIGITAL HERITAGE&DESIGN THINKING: THE RAILTOLAND WORKSHOP AS AN INNOVATIVE PRACTICE IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SCENARIO

Abstract. The higher education scenario is constantly evolving and COVID-19 restrictions traced a demarcation line with previous behaviours and practices. Even though the European Commission spends many efforts to monitor the progresses, indicate the challenges as well as to give the perspectives, innovating the way in which we teach, especially about heritage & design, is rarely a priority.The article presents an interdisciplinary learning activity carried out within the RAILtoLAND (RtL) project, a co-funded Erasmus+ project under the Key Action 2 “Cooperation for innovation”. RtL is a collective ideation platform to develop innovative tools to communicate the European Cultural Landscapes by train and it has the goal to explore the social and educational value of the railway landscape as a common heritage and as a catalyst for European identity.The workshop was carried out in the Sub-Apennine area dealing with two complementary and fundamental topics “Digital Heritage & Design Thinking”, experiencing virtual events and innovative practices for the knowledge, narrative and design of heritage and landscape. The workshop stemmed from an interdisciplinary approach: experts in digital cultural heritage, survey and representation techniques, geomatics, and urban and landscape designers brought together their expertise and performed a ground-breaking study activity. The learning activities involved areas in the Marche Region (Italy) through on field activities, and the Porto-Vigo railway line (Portugal-Spain) through the experience of a virtual trip.

PRODUCTION OF DIGITAL CONTENT (3D ASSET) SOURCE RESOURCES FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. In Korea, several 3D digital documentation projects have been carried out to preserve cultural heritage, but limitations in high-capacity/high-quality data have hindered their use in virtual restoration. To address this, organizations have produced low-capacity, high-quality 3D assets since 2020, but disseminating 3D assets with metadata containing cultural heritage information is important to reduce errors in historical research during virtual restoration. To overcome this problem, the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea initiated the ‘Cultural Heritage Digital Content (3D Asset) Source Resource Production’ project in 2022. The project aims to convey and share the value of cultural heritage through 3D assets, which are complex due to the artistic values of units that must be contextually connected. Spatial and asset characteristics were classified into six categories of cultural heritage 3D assets, with the goal of turning tangible and intangible cultural heritage into 3D assets for comprehensive utilization. The cultural heritage digital source resources are a valuable resource for the creative industry.

WEB PLATFORMS FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT: THE PARCO ARCHEOLOGICO DEL COLOSSEO CASE STUDY

Abstract. This paper describes the digitization test of Fonte Giuturna (Giuturna spring) in the Roman Forum area, from survey to data management through the in-use monitoring system, the WebApp SyPEAH of the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo. The location of Giuturna Spring, characterized by the presence of heterogeneous archaeological remains from different ages, was surveyed in May 2022 as part of a research project that aimed to superintend the entire Cultural Heritage digitization pipeline to provide the Archaeological Park Administration the digitization guidelines as a tool to standardize future surveys and data deliveries.Inspired by the desire to build a system of protection and conservation at the service of sustainable exploitation, SyPEAH is a web platform based on open-source modules designed to manage archaeological records with a WebGIS approach. It supports the use of several 3D data formats, including point clouds. The paper focuses on the web platform, describing the web app’s main features, especially in terms of point cloud data management. Moreover, possible future development of the platform intended to implement usability for single archaeological objects is described.

A REVIEW OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE LINKED OPEN DATA ONTOLOGIES AND MODELS

Abstract. In recent years, there has been a trend towards synergies among cultural heritage institutions, such as GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) collaborations in the field of information resource management. These institutions have been actively promoting the construction of digital humanities projects. Such projects primarily target data resource construction and digital humanities services, which are in line with the service functions of GLAM institutions. With the development of networking and digitisation, museums have been making more prominent contributions to knowledge sharing and dissemination.Digital technology has brought about profound changes in the academic research environment. The expansion of traditional research and the emergence of new questions in the digital environment have promoted novel perspectives, thinking, and methods. With the increase in digitisation of cultural heritage, the scale of data has grown rapidly, and the types of data available have been continuously enriched, from knowledge aggregation to knowledge organization and even knowledge transmission. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the tools of digital humanities, which constitute an important means of knowledge production, and to work with traditional GLAM institutions to promote digital thinking and interdisciplinary knowledge integration methods. At the technical level, methods such as knowledge graphs and ontologies are used to construct a multi-layered and systematic knowledge system. This paper presents a review focused on three cultural heritage models, CIDOC CRM, Europeana and the Sampo Model, and reflects on three aspects of the current models: technical framework construction, digital resources, and service systems.

THE FIRST ATTEMPT FOR STANDARDISATION IN 3D DIGITISATION. THE EU STUDY ON QUALITY IN 3D DIGITISATION OF TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. This paper focuses on the exceptional results of the EU Study (Commission et al., 2022) to map the parameters, formats, standards, benchmarks and methodologies relating to the 3D digitisation of tangible cultural heritage (CH). The overall objective of our paper is to further the quality of the 3D digitisation process by enabling cultural heritage professionals, institutions, content developers, stakeholders and academics to define and produce high-quality digitisation standards and sustainable conservation models for the preservation, documentation, understanding, and accessibility of tangible cultural heritage assets. The aim is to achieve high quality results during the 2D and 3D recording process of CH tangible assets. This work identifies for the first time in this domain, key parameters of the digitisation process, estimated the relative complexity and how it is linked to technology, its impact on quality and its various factors. It also presents standards and formats used for 3D digitisation, including data types, data formats and metadata schemas for 3D structures within a holistic documentation approach. Finally, this work presents and describes all the features and parameters of the complexity and quality that influence the methodology and infrastructure to be used for high quality results regarding digital cultural heritage. These complexity and quality factors are illustrated in the form of radial charts with the corresponding relevant information at the end of the paper.

DIGITAL HOLISTIC DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE: CHALLENGES AND RISKS, TOWARDS SHAPING THE FUTURE

Abstract. This paper presents the results of the Horizon 2020 ERA Chair in Digital Cultural Heritage: ‘Mnemosyne’ project, which aims to achieve excellence in research and innovation in the holistic documentation of the past. The project's research agenda includes six broad thematic areas, which encompass data acquisition, processing, semantic data modelling, knowledge management, data long-term preservation, and data use and reuse. The paper focuses on the key results of the project during which several researchers have been training, some of whom propose presenting their experience in three out of the total seventeen heritage-documentation case studies chosen to be studied and digitized. The paper illustrates the significant results of the case studies and how they can fulfil the needs of the multidisciplinary community of experts. Mnemosyne’s research team has developed useful research methodologies for the holistic documentation and digitization of tangible cultural heritage objects, monuments, and sites, as well as novel research approaches regarding their embedded intangible aspects and features.

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE ARCHITECTUAL STANDARD DOCUMENTATION METHODS ACROSS DIFFERENT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract. This article presents the current guidelines/standards for architectural documentation in various countries. Available regulations, applicable documents, technical guidelines, and good practices were analysed, together with selected examples of 3D digitisation projects. The results of the evaluation were compared with the guidelines for generating 3D documentation proposed by The Expert Group on Digital Cultural Heritage (EU) and Europeana. The analyses show no unambiguous hard technical guidelines. Still, there is a set of proposed guidelines and good practices to correctly carry out the 3D digitalisation process and the selection of equipment for the inventory of selected classes of object types. For this reason, it is recommended to detail the guidelines for the selection of equipment and the possible accuracy of the final architectural documentation derived from geospatial data.

FEW SHOT PHOTOGRAMETRY: A COMPARISON BETWEEN NERF AND MVS-SFM FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. 3D documentation methods for Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) domain is a field that becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, breaking down boundaries that have long separated experts from different domains. In the past, there has been an ambiguous claim for ownership of skills, methodologies, and expertise in the heritage sciences. This study aims to contribute to the dialogue between these different disciplines by presenting a novel approach for 3D documentation of an ancient statue. The method combines TLS acquisition and MVS pipeline using images from a DJI Mavic 2 drone. Additionally, the study compares the accuracy and final product of the Deep Points (DP) and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) methods, using the TLS acquisition as validation ground truth. Firstly, a TLS acquisition was performed on an ancient statue using a Faro Focus 2 scanner. Next, a multi-view stereo (MVS) pipeline was adopted using 2D images captured by a Mini-2 DJI Mavic 2 drone from a distance of approximately 1 meter around the statue. Finally, the same images were used to train and run the NeRF network after being reduced by 90%. The main contribution of this paper is to improve our understanding of this method and compare the accuracy and final product of two different approaches - direct projection (DP) and NeRF - by exploiting a TLS acquisition as the validation ground truth. Results show that the NeRF approach outperforms DP in terms of accuracy and produces a more realistic final product. This paper has important implications for the field of CH preservation, as it offers a new and effective method for generating 3D models of ancient statues. This technology can help to document and preserve important cultural artifacts for future generations, while also providing new insights into the history and culture of different civilizations. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate the potential of combining TLS and NeRF for generating accurate and realistic 3D models of ancient statues.

WHAT COMMUNICATION ABOUT HERITAGE CONSERVATION? A CHALLENGE FOR DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION CONTENT

Abstract. The technological methods for digital documentation and the experimental best practice standards used to document and describe the many artistic objects determine the challenges and the numerous uses of today’s cultural heritage.Because of this, it's crucial to preserve heritage by documenting it consciously and using conservation techniques that don't diminish or affect its worth. The study examines the issues we faced in disseminating all of the technical content we have, rather than focusing on the general importance of digital data for the technical staff. To share our heritage, we must make the digital legacy we have built over the last twenty years accessible. Starting from practical examples of dissemination projects in the context of conservation items, the analysis discusses an investigation into the findings and disciplinary culture that have resulted from research conducted by academics in the field of digital heritage on papers, conferences and EU projects produced and conducted between 2018 and 2022. The paper reviews the digital cultural heritage framework outlined by research up to this point.Our findings demonstrate that, despite the fact that the DCH area is constantly changing, we still primarily consider the technical side of digital without considering it as a genuine possibility for openness and sharing.

Evaluating Learning Outcomes of Virtual Reality Applications in Education: A Proposal for Digital Cultural Heritage

The surge of Mobile Virtual Reality (VR) applications is getting growing attention among researchers and practitioners. The recent literature demonstrates its benefits when used for education purposes, since virtual immersion yields promising results for learning. Leveraging this trend, within the so called “digital didactics”, the need to gauge VR’s effectiveness in the didactic field has become paramount; so far, a method to connect traditional evaluation strategies to novel VR-based learning is still broadly missing. This paper investigates the problem of quantifying the learning outcomes and proposes a new didactic evaluation method for the Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) learning. This research, conducted in a higher education institute, proposes three new Key Performance Indicators, referring to Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT) : Mnemonic (M) , Transversal (T) , and Disciplinary (D) . A questionnaire was administered by the same teacher who holds the course, to evaluate how well the application communicated information. The participants have been subdivided into two groups with the same knowledge base. The first group (1ACAT) that represents the “VR group” used the app at home to deepen their subject studies; while the second group (1AGR) that represents the “control group” consulted and studied the app only before the test. The results have demonstrated that the “control group” has a greater ability to support purely mnemonic topics (1ACAT 46.9%, 1AGR 53.1%), such as dates and simple definitions. The skills reached by the “VR group” attest to both transveral (1ACAT 52.9%, 1AGR 47.1%) and disciplinary (1ACAT 52.5%, 1AGR 47.5%) knowledge. These results validate the use of VR in teaching, demonstrating both experiential value and student involvement, but even confirming the compensatory function of VR if compared with the irreplaceable role of teachers in guiding learners to learn.

INTEGRATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SURVEY OUTPUT AND THE INFORMATION ASSET IN A 3D MODEL OF THE CASTELLO SFORZESCO IN MILAN

Abstract. In recent years, the architecture domain, driven by today's digital transition, has been actively exploring the world of digital twins, also thanks to the technological advancement that supports the progress on the issue. Within this context, the present work deals with the wide world of Architectural Cultural Heritage digitization. It aims to obtain a tool to support knowledge, investigation, and management of the built heritage. The research proposes an approach for digital twin development that comprehensively describes the architectural asset, including elements that are no longer present or visible. For this purpose, the three-dimensional model collects the available heterogeneous geometric datum, inevitably characterized by different levels of accuracy. The digitization model designed involves the coexistence of objects belonging to different Levels of Geometric Information (LOGI). All types of data then cooperate in defining the overall geometric information. Therefore, this framework allows for exploiting geometric information from both geomatics digital surveys and historical sources. This system allows obtaining a digital model that includes the different evolutionary phases of architectural assets by providing an overall view of these structures, an essential notion for operating properly on this kind of architecture. The digitization system was tested on a particular case study, the Ghirlanda of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. The complexity of the property and the richness of the information heritage guided this choice, providing the basis for an appropriate and effective experimental activity.

EXPLAINING AI: UNDERSTANDING DEEP LEARNING MODELS FOR HERITAGE POINT CLOUDS

Abstract. Deep Learning has been pivotal in many real-world applications (e.g., autonomous driving, medicine and retail). With the wide availability of consumer-grade depth sensors, acquiring 3D data has become more affordable and effective, and many 3D datasets are currently publicly available. 3D data provides a great opportunity for a better comprehension of the surrounding environment for machines. There is a growing need for innovative methods for the treatment and analysis of point clouds and for their classification. The complex hidden layers, which are at the basis of deep neural networks (DNNs), make it difficult to interpret these models, that up to a few years ago DNNs were considered and treated as black box operators. Still, with their increasing popularity, making them explainable and interpretable has become mandatory. A lot of efforts were devoted to developing an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) framework for explaining DNNs decisions with 2D data, while only a few studies have attempted to investigate the explainability of 3D DNNs and, even more, heritage scenarios. To overcome these limitations, it was proposed the BubblEX framework: a novel multimodal fusion framework to learn the 3D point features. In our work, BubblEX has been exploited to understand the decisions taken by DNNs for heritage point clouds. The approach has been applied to a Digital Cultural Heritage Dataset, which is publicly available: the ArCH (Architectural Cultural Heritage) Dataset.

Research on Dissemination Strategy of martial Arts Intangible cultural Heritage in Anhui Area in New Media Era

Traditional martial arts culture in Anhui Province has a strong mass base, but there are few types of traditional martial arts protected by intangible cultural heritage projects. From the perspective of communication, this paper analyzes the dilemma of the inheritance and development of martial arts culture in the new media era, finds out the new opportunities brought by new media technology for the development of traditional martial arts, proposes the strategy of digital intangible cultural heritage transmission of traditional martial arts culture in Anhui province under the background of new media era. It aims to build a long-term mechanism for the inheritance and protection of folk traditional martial arts in Anhui province, and promote the protection and development of wushu intangible cultural heritage projects in Anhui province.

The Relationship between User Perceived Value and Use Intention of Digital Cultural Heritage Collection Apps: An Empirical Study from China

The Relationship between User Perceived Value and Use Intention of Digital Cultural Heritage Collection Apps: An Empirical Study from China

Comparison of low-cost techniques for digital cultural heritage preservation of an original Egyptian temple

Abstract. The research covers a method to map archaeological objects (cultural heritage) in 3D in an accurate, detailed way with low-cost equipment. This paper deals with a preliminary step, testing the method on an ancient Egyptian object, the temple of Taffeh (Raven, 1996) in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden, the Netherlands. Mapping the temple is a preparation step for accurately and detailed mapping and geo-referencing an ancient Egyptian subterranean tomb. The research was to compare two different techniques on reliability and precision, together describing the accuracy. The proposed techniques in the method are photogrammetry with a full-frame digital mirrorless camera and using an iPhone with LiDAR capability. For this first step, the mapping of the temple, a third technique was added: a more advanced mobile laser scanner (a ZEB Horizon), not being low-cost but interesting for comparison and possibly validation. Of all three techniques the point density was measured to give a first indication of the level of detail. The research shows the method to be promising for use in Egypt. The photogrammetry model was the most accurate, presenting sub-centimetre details of the object while the iPhone LiDAR model was less accurate and lower in point density but faster.

MaDiH (مديح): A Transnational Approach to Building Digital Cultural Heritage Capacity

Approaches used to design, build, and maintain digital cultural heritage communities and infrastructure in Europe, North America, and Australasia need to be tailored to regional contexts such as Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Cultural and political differences, inherited issues with technical infrastructure and funding, and the need to build trusting and healthy working relationships across national boundaries makes this challenging. The framework and roadmap used during the MaDiH (مديح): Mapping Digital Cultural Heritage in Jordan project (2019 - 2021) provides one of several possible models for such work, as well as highlighting its myriad challenges and opportunities.

Toward a Data Fusion Index for the Assessment and Enhancement of 3D Multimodal Reconstruction of Built Cultural Heritage

In the field of digital cultural heritage (DCH), 2D/3D digitization strategies are becoming more and more complex. The emerging trend of multimodal imaging (i.e., data acquisition campaigns aiming to put in cooperation multi-sensor, multi-scale, multi-band and/or multi-epochs concurrently) implies several challenges in term of data provenance, data fusion and data analysis. Making the assumption that the current usability of multi-source 3D models could be more meaningful than millions of aggregated points, this work explores a “reduce to understand” approach to increase the interpretative value of multimodal point clouds. Starting from several years of accumulated digitizations on a single use-case, we define a method based on density estimation to compute a Multimodal Enhancement Fusion Index (MEFI) revealing the intricate modality layers behind the 3D coordinates. Seamlessly stored into point cloud attributes, MEFI is able to be expressed as a heat-map if the underlying data are rather isolated and sparse or redundant and dense. Beyond the colour-coded quantitative features, a semantic layer is added to provide qualitative information from the data sources. Based on a versatile descriptive metadata schema (MEMoS), the 3D model resulting from the data fusion could therefore be semantically enriched by incorporating all the information concerning its digitization history. A customized 3D viewer is presented to explore this enhanced multimodal representation as a starting point for further 3D-based investigations.

Digital design method of cultural heritage using Ancient Egyptian theological totem

This study presents a design method for cultural heritage digitization using ancient Egyptian theological totems. The use of digital technology and multimedia in cultural heritage research has become an important means of cultural heritage inheritance, innovation, and dissemination with the deepening of the digital age. Ancient Egyptian theological totems were selected because their digitization is rarely discussed, although ancient Egypt has left very rich cultural heritage resources in various fields such as architecture, painting, music, and theology. The detailed digitization process was explained in three main dimensions: visual development, animation processing, and interactive design. Methods and design experiences were then summarized for each part. The study emphasizes that digital technology, as the most advanced technical means, plays a pivotal role in the inheritance, innovation, and dissemination of cultural heritage.

VISIT: A Content Management and Exploration System for Mobile Augmented Reality in the Context of Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage

We present in this article an augmented reality system called VISIT designed to deliver content about artworks to visitors. This system aims to simplify the use of augmented reality by allowing (non-computer) users to define content and place it in 3D around an artwork. VISIT is composed of two main generic elements with respect to historical or artistic content: a Web interface allows to represent in a cloud all the necessary information (sites, areas, artworks, media) to define the augmented reality content that visitors will see. Its use is simple and accessible to non-computer specialists and does not require additional software development or special hardware. A mobile augmented reality application under Android will use this content and deliver it to the visitor on his/her smartphone. The application automatically detects the presence of the artworks and then places the 3D content as specified in the Web interface. The visitors can choose the elements that interest them. The user’s actions are recorded and allow site managers to analyze their behavior. VISIT is operational and we tested it in the context of a large-scale exhibition at the Château d’Azay-Le-Rideau in France. We conclude with the progress achieved as well as the limits and perspectives of our work.