Virtual research environment for the management and the visualization of complex archaeological sites.

Virtual research environment for the management and the visualization of complex archaeological sites.

[SHS:ARCHI] Humanities and Social Sciences/Architecture, space management

Information Systems

Data Management

Interactive Visualizations

Internet

Archaeology

Virtual Research Environments are tools and technologies to enhance and support research. These online environments are dedicated to <br />support collaboration whether in the management of a research activity, the discovery, analysis and curation of data or information, or <br />in the communication and dissemination of research outputs. They are applicable to numerous domains, and they are particularly useful <br />for Cultural Heritage purposes. Aim of this paper is to present a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) for archaeology and architecture. <br />An Information System has been produced, which is based on open source software modules and works on the Internet. It permits to <br />avoid users to be software driven and it makes possible for different persons to register and consult data from different places. The <br />system will then improve the sharing of research and data between archaeologists working on dissimilar sites, and also between these <br />professionals and the general public for the dissemination of the knowledge about the site. Our VRE has diverse objectives: digital <br />archiving of archaeological and architectural datasets, data inquiry through different interfaces notably clickable plans and 3D models, <br />attractive visualization and communication of information. <br />The Information System includes possibilities of thematic and interactive treatments. The thematic treatments are done from the history <br />and the visit of the archaeological site, from diverse search engines and from views of the records. The interactive treatments are carried <br />out on plans and on 3D models that are used as interactive interfaces to access the documents and objects. It allows doing an exploratory <br />visit of the site and an inquiry of all the documents that have been gathered about it, according to the interests of each visitor. The <br />tool proposed is usable for every kind of archaeological site, and allows managing and visualizing very diverse types of data. Our first <br />experimentations and tests have been done on sites managed by the Service of the National Sites and Monuments of Luxembourg: the <br />medieval castle of Vianden and the gallo-roman villa of Echternach. <br />In the system, data with metadata chosen by the expert are recorded in the XML format (standard of the W3C) and automatically <br />integrated in a MySQL database. Afterwards, the registered information is made accessible through different interfaces, particularly <br />interactive 2D and 3D representations, which permit queries at spatial and temporal levels. These clickable representations are 2D <br />images or vectors created in SVG, and 3D models produced in VRML and X3D, for a full compliance with the W3C recommendations. <br />The 3D models are principally historical models, which have been initially created from multiple data sources like texts, old paper <br />plans, drawings, sections, etc., coming from the excavation work of the archaeologists. At the beginning they were in a particular <br />modeler format. They have been exported in VRML and X3D afterwards, and then made interactive thanks to anchor processes. It is <br />now possible to click on these models to access all the data from which they have been produced. In addition, the user of the system can <br />generate his own 3D models and composition plans thanks to multi-criteria data entry forms. He has the choice to select for example <br />one or several places and one or several historical phases, for which he wants to generate ”on the fly” the 3D model to see the historical <br />evolutions of the site. Approximately the same process is available to create synthesis 2D plans or photo-montage allowing for instance <br />to superimpose the architectural arrangement of the castle today with its former configurations. <br />The proposed VRE offers also different possibilities to improve the visualization of archaeological and architectural data, which have <br />sometimes been gathered for a long time, often without computerized means. This information is then highlighted in a new way, rather <br />than being forgotten in a drawer with any means of further exploitations.

Meyer, Elise

Grussenmeyer, Pierre

Perrin, Jean-Pierre

ISPRS International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Systems

2nd 3D-ARCH International Symposium

2007

ENG

conference proceeding

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00264824

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/26/48/24/PDF/MEYER_200707_3DARCH.pdf

Zurich

Switzerland