Cultural and Natural Heritage

The Cultural and Natural Heritage (heritage) Working Group is exploring the generation, handling, and display of digital 3D data for cultural and natural heritage.

The Cultural and Natural Heritage (heritage) working group is focused on the development of examples, best practices and new techniques to capture, archive and distribute 3D representations of cultural and natural (biological) objects.  This includes work by institutions and individuals seeking to model, preserve and communicate the visual and informational aspects of 3D objects holding historical and intellectual interest.

The Working Group is developing an open interoperable standard for the Archival and Retrieval of cultural heritage and natural objects based on input from a wide variety of imaging modalities. Millions of cultural heritage artifacts populate our museums and about 90% still await discovery in museum archives. In addition there are millions of natural objects, such as insects, hidden in museum drawers. 3D Digital models can provide arbitrary availability and concurrent access to digital alternates of heritage artifacts for historians and scientists. Moreover, virtual presentations (combined with new forms of presentation technologies, such as hybrid exhibitions) can be used as a means to increase attractiveness and public engagement. 

This working group is open for public participation on the heritage@web3D.org mailing list (subscribe, message archive). Join the open mailing list!

Goals

  • Define Web3D Consortium strategic goals for open standards for Archival and Retrieval of cultural and natural heritage objects
  • Discuss data size, work flows, scanning, processing tools, publications and best practices
  • Characterize Cultural Heritage requirements and activities by museums, anthroplogy and government agencies

Cultural and Natural Heritage Working Group Charter

Examples

The X3D Standard allows capture for archival and retrival of important cultural artifacts in 3D, so that people across the world can appreciate and study them. Web3D members, Fraunhofer IGD are building a novel, high-speed scanning system to assist museums in capturing these treasures.

Resources and tools

  • X3DOM and X_ITE the family of X3D viewers 
    • ​X3DOM and X_ite have  proven to be a very capable platforms for implementing the features requested by the 3D CH community. The architecture of X3D, where the specification exists separate from its implementations, gives it added stability and flexibility
  • Smithsonian Voyager, viewers based on Three JS, Babylon, Aleph (https://github.com/aleph-viewer/aleph )
  • Geometry processing tool Meshlab (EU, open source)
  • IIIF (International Image Interopabiltiy Framework; https:///iiif.io )
      - An ecology, of open tools that work together, and can evolve to meet changing circumstances and underlying technology, 
      -  Extending their 2D framework for sharing cultural heritage and natural history content, into 3D
       - A slideset from a recent online meeting discusses the work

Upcoming Events

TODO. Although much related activity is occurring, we need to rejuvenate leadership and membership of this group for better effectiveness.

Chair(s): 
Nicholas Polys | E-mail: npolys@vt.edu
Matt Adcock | E-mail: matt.adcock@csiro.au
Pedro Santos | E-mail: pedro.santos@igd.fraunhofer.de
References: 
Cultural and Natural Heritage Working Group Charter
Cultural Heritage (Wikipedia)
Natural Heritage (Wikipedia)