Ten Challenges for Digital Humanities and the Way Forward

In a previous article, the authors came up with a list of what they considered 10 challenges that would define the area of digital humanities at large and their evolution in the next years. However, in the almost two years that have passed since the publication of that paper, they are now able to see the need for relating the challenges for digital humanities with what one may characterize as socially relevant topics by means of outlining 10 challenges where the digital humanities can make a social impact. This chapter does that.

3D Reconstruction Challenges Using Structure-From-Motion

Numerous software solutions implementing the structure-from-motion/multi-view stereo (SFM/MVS) 3D reconstruction approach have been made available over the last two decades. Hence, enabling the production of high quality, in terms of geometry and colour information, 3D objects using solely unordered image sequences depicting a static scene or objects from arbitrary viewpoints. Nowadays, SFM/MVS-based 3D reconstruction approaches constitute a popular solution in a variety of applications within many research domains including cultural heritage. However, as with all 3D reconstruction approaches, SfM/MVS has its limitations and applicability challenges. In this chapter, the authors attempt to provide a set of guidelines that are based on the important outcomes of published works that propose solutions to overcome some of the challenges introduced by non-friendly to SfM/MVS scenes or objects.

Scientific Datasets in Archaeological Research Through Pottery Dating and Provenance Cases

Recent trends in archaeological research dictate the incorporation of various analytical methods for dating, chemical/mineralogical characterization, morphological description, etc. of various excavation findings and landscapes to support and corroborate the archaeologists' observations. Each method, when used individually, provides a different feedback, but once single studies are combined, the information produced can significantly contribute to the solution of the archaeological puzzle. Thus, numerous scientific data and metadata are produced creating large and complex scientific datasets. The use of common terminology and definitions to describe these data along with the establishment of a formal standardized structure any cultural heritage information could be mapped to would assure the credibility and durability of such scientific datasets. The chapter provides an overview of the types and formats of the scientific data/metadata produced in the archaeological research through the detailed presentation of the common practices used in pottery dating and provenance studies.

Google Earth Revisited

The interpretation of photos and the processing of Google Earth imagery that allowed the “random” discovery as a result of a non-systematical research of numerous marks of buried constructions in the wide area of the city of Larisa (Thessaly, Greece) is presented in this chapter. Additional data as aerial photographs over time, satellite images and the digital terrain model of the same area has been used. From the numerous marks, this chapter mainly focuses on three positions where the positive marks (soil marks or/and crop marks), circular or/and linear, reveal on a satisfying level covered construction of great dimensions. The ongoing research activity of the research team along with this research highlights the advantages of using Google Earth imagery in an attempt to “random” mark of unknown covered constructions, or, in the frame of a systematic survey of aerial and remote sensing archaeology, as additional and not exclusive source of information.

Toward Smart Heritage

The concept of cultural heritage has evolved over time. In relation to a context where digital technologies and ICT are changing our everyday lives and the way to visualize, experience, and think, the growth of digital heritage poses new issues in the conceptual and operative relationship with real contents. The chapter reflects on the concept of tangible heritage, presents issues in heritage digitalization, and highlights the new relationships that the real dimension and the digital sphere of heritage establish, according to advanced frontiers of mixed heritage. Pressing topics are the matters of interpretation and presentation of heritage, the transparency of digital communication, and the participation of people in cultural content through digital content production, sharing, re-elaboration.

Surfing Between Disciplines

The aim of the chapter is to reflect on how ICT and digital tools and methodologies influence the study of architectural heritage, favouring interdisciplinary interactions. First, the chapter analyses the characteristics of digital heritage from real built contents in relation with the general concept of heritage. Then, it discusses the communicative characteristics of 3-D digital models and the related issues, common among the different disciplines. Finally, it presents the peculiar aspects of architectural heritage and the building information modeling applied to architectural heritage as a specific kind of digital procedure naturally born for this kind of heritage. In conclusion, it highlights new trends and points out issues in transdisciplinary temptations.

Virtual Dark Tourism

Death is a great unifier, not only for one who is in grief but also those who have similar shared values (i.e., tourist demand for visiting death sites). In this sense, visitation to the death sites denotes its importance to people's lives. However, as types of death sites are distinctively different from one to another, death sites as tourist attraction remains a segmented target market. This chapter looks at some viewpoints for making death sites not only for a segmented target market, which leads to discourse of virtual dark tourism (VDT) formation. With sound branding coupled with augmented reality (AR) as tools to support the claims of virtual dark tourism, death sites, which are considered exclusive touristic market offerings, presumably could be consumed by more target markets. Several issues and direction for future research are discussed.

Evaluation Experiments of Personalized Tours for Exploring Cultural Heritage

Personalized software has been extensively used in museum guides and recommendation systems for tours because it provides added value to the interaction of the user with cultural heritage. However, this added value can only be confirmed through an evaluation experiment. Therefore, this chapter presents the indoor and outdoor personalized tours for exploring cultural heritage. More specifically, the chapter focuses on the methods used for personalization, the technology employed to improve interaction, and the evaluation experiments that have been implemented. The evaluation experiments are further categorized with respect to the method of evaluation and the criteria used. Finally, it provides a discussion on the main conclusions drawn from the researchers conducting evaluation experiments of the system performing indoor and outdoor tours for the exploration of cultural heritage.

Cross-Reality Technologies in Archaeometry Bridge Humanities With “Hard Science”

As an integral part of archaeology, archaeometry, employs standard laboratory techniques and ICT tools to examine and analyze art and archaeological materials. Most students involved with cultural heritage and Αrchaeology have a background in the arts or humanities and a minimal, if any, training in the principles and techniques of most natural and engineering sciences. Consequently, when choosing to be enrolled in an archaeometry course, an interdisciplinary field which also requires some background in applied sciences, cross reality labs can be the bridge between archaeology and its sub-disciplines, and “hard science.” In this chapter, the authors focus on the use of virtual environments in the digital cultural heritage field, as well as on applications of cross reality laboratories in archaeometry. Finally, they present some evidence in favor of the simulations, pointing out that VR, AR, and MR labs could train, safely and efficiently, pre-service archaeometrists in the use of specialized laboratory apparatuses and help them take advantage of the full spectrum of modern laboratory tools.

Exploiting Cross-Reality Technologies for Cultural Heritage Dissemination

One of the most challenging tasks in cross reality environment simulations is the generation of realistic and attractive worlds. The continuous evolution of computer game industry has a dramatic effect on such tasks as younger generations have higher expectations and demands in terms of realism. Virtual, Augmented, and mixed reality-based museums allow the efficient dissemination of cultural heritage thesaurus and are considered a popular application domain for cross reality environments due to their broad appeal. One of their primary scopes is to enrich user experience by introducing intuitive means of interaction with artefacts while offering knowledge in a more pleasant way than most of the traditional approaches. This chapter focuses on the development aspects of realistic simulations of cross reality environments for cultural heritage applications. It covers aspects related to modern 3D graphics and game engines, 3D digitization, and modelling. It discusses on the combination of these technologies in order to produce realistic, pleasant, and educative environments.