Online Virtual Museums Research Articles

Enhancing Spatial Cognition in Online Virtual Museum Environments: Integrating Game-Based Navigation Strategies for Improved User Experience

Online Virtual Museums (OVM) serve as vital conduits for the global propagation of cultural heritage but grapple with the challenge of user disorientation due to the absence of physical references. Leveraging the successful paradigm of game-based virtual navigation, this study investigates the potential integration of game mini-map navigation design elements into OVM to enhance spatial cognition. Through empirical investigation, a conceptual model was developed to probe the role of core mini-map design elements (interactivity, visual guidance, and information content) in augmenting spatial cognition. Results indicate that optimizing these elements significantly enhances user immersion and presence, thereby improving spatial cognition. Specifically, information content and visual guidance exerted stronger effects on immersion and presence, respectively. This research contributes a novel perspective on incorporating game design strategies into non-game virtual experiences, offering practical guidance for enhancing navigation in OVM and similar virtual environments. This bridges the gap between virtual museum navigation and game design, propelling the evolution of more dynamic, interactive, and user-centric virtual environments, thus fostering the preservation and dissemination of digital cultural heritage.

Virtual Museum Scene Design Based on VRAR Realistic Interaction under PMC Artificial Intelligence Model

Abstract At present, there are problems of insufficient conservation and heritage and single display channels in the field of museums. In the background of digital era, innovative new museum display mode and interaction mode can bring new exhibition experience for visitors. In this paper, we study the key technologies such as 3D scene visualization, facility and equipment simulation, and human-computer interaction simulation. Based on virtual reality and augmented reality, somatosensory interactive digital technologies, an interaction engine under multiple classifiers is proposed, an online virtual museum design strategy is built, and an all-round, multi-angle, three-dimensional interactive museum display platform is constructed. A quantitative analysis method based on the policy consistency index model is proposed to conduct user measurement and post-use evaluation of the conceived virtual museum. The application results show that the design platform can intuitively display the complex environment of an intelligent digital museum, support the development of immersive virtual roaming and virtual touch, and provide a new way to visit a new type of interactive museum.

Development and Design Case Function Comparison of Panoramic Roaming System of Virtual Museum Based on Pano2VR

The development of modern information technology gives birth to virtual museums. The exhibition of physical museums is evolving into online virtual exhibition, allowing users to have an immersive experience of museums without leaving home. Through content analysis, this study analyzes the status quo of online virtual museums in China and discovers two major problems: the exhibits are mainly brief introductory graphs and texts, and the exhibition module is independent of the panoramic roaming module. To solve the problems, Pano2VR was used to develop and design a virtual museum panorama roaming system for Hubei Museum. After realizing the map navigation of the museum, photos of the museum were taken on the site and prepared into a panorama. Then, the panorama roaming of the virtual museum was achieved based on Pano2VR. Finally, the results were displayed on the virtual web page of the museum, and real interactive virtual exhibitions were conducted on the website platform. The proposed system enhances the research value of the cultural relics of the Hubei Museum and increases the interaction with users.

Online Virtual Tourism Platform Based on VR Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic and the development of emerging technologies have brought new challenges and opportunities to tourism. The tourism sector must rethink its relationship with consumers and leverage emerging technologies for business expansion and transformation. Under this circumstance, providing travelers with an immersive virtual environment to meet their travel needs through virtual reality (VR) technology is considered to be a sustainable way to develop tourism1. In this paper, an online virtual art museum travel platform is built based on VR technology, which allows users to roam in the virtual scene and interact with the objects in the scene from the first-person view. VR tourism that provides a highly realistic environment and user-driven interactive functions is regarded as a potential alternative for real-life tourism2, achieving the immersive roaming in the virtual environment. VR tourism alleviates the contradiction between constrained mobility and increased tourism willingness up against the COVID-19 pandemic, and has positive social significance.

RecorDIM of Iran's Cultural Heritage Using an Online Virtual Museum, Considering the Coronavirus Pandemic

The virtual visits to cultural heritage sites have significantly increased due to the Coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions on face-to-face visits to historical cultural sites. Many people visit these sites to get acquainted with the culture of the past, researchers to access original and primary documents, and experts to manage information and adopt decision-making policies. In Iran, there is no virtual museum with the capability of displaying its cultural heritage. Thus, the present study aims to present how an online virtual museum can be created in a simple and low-cost way to integrate tangible and intangible cultural heritage documents. This virtual museum integrates the virtual tours of historical monuments, 3D models of museum objects, images, and videos introducing cultural heritage objects. Moreover, with all types of data stored on it, the museum can be useful for the public, researchers, and experts in various fields, improving cultural heritage conservation. Finally, a more comprehensive approach is proposed to digitally integrate cultural heritage documents. This approach can be applied to other countries with common concerns.

VIRTUAL MUSEUM AS THE NEWEST MECHANISM FOR PRESERVING HISTORICAL MEMORY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

The development of information technology has entailed an active rethinking of the concept of cultural memory, the transposition of the actual formats, methods of interpretation and presentation to the audience, in particular through online technologies and museum activities. Museums, which are formed exclusively on the basis of online technology, become a qualitatively new cultural form of activity, which terms and conceptual nomenclature were built spontaneously, empirically in the process of practical activity. The purpose of this research is to analyze the concept and peculiar features of an online (virtual) museum as a multidimensional phenomenon of an interdisciplinary nature, and to propose their classification based on best practices of Ukrainian and international museums.

The structural relationships among spatial presence, situational interest and behavioral attitudes toward online virtual museum navigation: a PLS-SEM analysis

PurposeThis study proposed a research model for verifying the structural relationships among users' perceived spatial presence (VR affordance), situational interest (affective factor) and behavioral attitudes (outcome) toward online virtual museum navigation. What role of situational interest plays in the relationships between spatial presence and outcomes was further examined.Design/methodology/approachThere were 141 adults invited to participate in the research trials on the navigation of the online virtual museum which was established by 3D space capture techniques. This study conducted a series of PLS-SEM to analyze the participants' quantitative responses to the surveys of spatial presence, situational interest and attitudes.FindingsThe testing of reliability and validity for the measurement model of this study was satisfied. The significance of users' perceived situational interest: attention demand, instant enjoyment and exploration intention when navigating the online virtual museum with perceptions of spatial presence were identified. The mediation of situational interest in the relationships between spatial presence and behavioral attitudes were also verified.Practical implicationsFor the practical design of desktop-based online virtual museums, it is suggested that more engaging strategies such as narrative storytelling and gamified interaction could be integrated to enhance users' situational interest including attention demand, instant enjoyment and exploration intention.Originality/valueThrough the examination of situational interest from multiple constructs, the research model of this study advanced the conceptual framework for understanding the consequences of VR affordance in online virtual museum navigation. The theoretical contribution to verifying the mediated role of situational interest was made.

Documenting Paintings with Gigapixel Photography.

Digital photographic capture of pictorial artworks with gigapixel resolution (around 1000 megapixels or greater) is a novel technique that is beginning to be used by some important international museums as a means of documentation, analysis, and dissemination of their masterpieces. This line of research is extremely interesting, not only for art curators and scholars but also for the general public. The results can be disseminated through online virtual museum displays, offering a detailed interactive visualization. These virtual visualizations allow the viewer to delve into the artwork in such a way that it is possible to zoom in and observe those details, which would be negligible to the naked eye in a real visit. Therefore, this kind of virtual visualization using gigapixel images has become an essential tool to enhance cultural heritage and to make it accessible to everyone. Since today’s professional digital cameras provide images of around 40 megapixels, obtaining gigapixel images requires some special capture and editing techniques. This article describes a series of photographic methodologies and equipment, developed by the team of researchers, that have been put into practice to achieve a very high level of detail and chromatic fidelity, in the documentation and dissemination of pictorial artworks. The result of this research work consisted in the gigapixel documentation of several masterpieces of the Museo de Bellas Artes of Valencia, one of the main art galleries in Spain. The results will be disseminated through the Internet, as will be shown with some examples.

Exploring the educational impact of diverse technologies in online virtual museums

This research explores the learning outcomes of online virtual museums employing diverse technologies such as images, videos, 3D reconstructions, etc. It presents the selection criteria (imageability, interactivity, navigability, personalisation, communication) of the five online virtual museums (VMs) involved in the analysis, each of which brings forward a prominent visualisation technology. Then, it describes the methodology of the evaluation process, in which a group of 164 (n = 164) participants, after exploration of the virtual museum websites, answered a self-administered questionnaire including 12 questions based on the concept of generic learning outcomes: a) knowledge and understanding; b) skills; c) change in attitude and values; d) enjoyment, inspiration and creativity; e) action, behaviour and progression. The results of a statistical analysis investigating the educational impact of each VM are analysed. The potential educational advantage of incorporating complex 3D reconstructions in a VM is questioned. A new methodology for analysing VMs is required. This paper contributes to the understanding of the educational impact of VMs in relation to their underlying technology and human computer interaction (HCI) features. Therefore, conclusions have a wider impact and can be generalised to be relevant even after design changes of the VMs selected for the evaluation.

Exploring the educational impact of diverse technologies in online virtual museums

This research explores the learning outcomes of online virtual museums employing diverse technologies such as images, videos, 3D reconstructions, etc. It presents the selection criteria (imageability, interactivity, navigability, personalisation, communication) of the five online virtual museums (VMs) involved in the analysis, each of which brings forward a prominent visualisation technology. Then, it describes the methodology of the evaluation process, in which a group of 164 (n = 164) participants, after exploration of the virtual museum websites, answered a self-administered questionnaire including 12 questions based on the concept of generic learning outcomes: a) knowledge and understanding; b) skills; c) change in attitude and values; d) enjoyment, inspiration and creativity; e) action, behaviour and progression. The results of a statistical analysis investigating the educational impact of each VM are analysed. The potential educational advantage of incorporating complex 3D reconstructions in a VM is questioned. A new methodology for analysing VMs is required. This paper contributes to the understanding of the educational impact of VMs in relation to their underlying technology and human computer interaction (HCI) features. Therefore, conclusions have a wider impact and can be generalised to be relevant even after design changes of the VMs selected for the evaluation.

Evaluating Practical Functions of Available Web-Based Virtual Museums Using Qualitative Comparative Method

By the extension of digital networks and the rise of personal computers, advantages of information technology have been noticed by major cultural organizations such as museums. As the result, different versions of online virtual museums have been created so far with various approaches and technologies. In addition to having a short review on literature and the history of web-based virtual museum development, this paper evaluates the practical functions of available web-based virtual museum development approaches using the qualitative comparative method regarding general aims, functions, and concepts in the definition of a museum defined by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Considering the findings of this study, it is possible to increase effectiveness and efficiency of virtual museums.

El museo virtual de los misteriosos Stećci

The online virtual museums seem to consolidate as excellent platforms for dissemination of cultural heritage, especially in countries with few resources and hard to take conservation and dissemination of their heritage. The Stecci virtual museum, developed by the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) is a clear example of how new technologies can contribute to enhancing cultural heritage.

Cabinet of Curiosity

This article considers the textually constructed 'virtual museum' of LambdaMOO and the users that manufacture their virtual bodies within this structure. As in traditional museums, the MOO museum functions as a legitimising force for the population's activities and as a strategy for constructing aesthetic values. The traditional museum relies on a stable culturally shared understanding of what bodies, objects, spaces, art, and viewers are in order to shape meaning. It is these very characteristics that are disordered by virtual MOO environments. The on-line virtual museum requires a new theory of spectatorship because it presents a quotation, or view, of a museum rather than a physical building structure that can be explored by the corporeal body of the viewer. These performative 'views' destabilise the spectator's ability to access a factual narrative or to remain invested in the realness of the museum system. Thus, the term 'museum' and the traditional viewing body are redefined by the components of MOO environments. This article considers the ways that virtual spectatorship and the virtual museum can constitute a kind of critical work on the traditional museum.