Nicola Lercari

3D Archaeology at Çatalhöyük

The project “3D-Digging at Catalhoyuk” began in 2010 thanks to collaboration between Stanford University (Archaeological Center) and the University of California Merced with the scope to record, document (with different digital technologies) and visualize in virtual reality all the phases of archaeological excavation. Phase I (2010 excavation season) of the project was mainly oriented to test different technologies during the excavation (time of flight and optical laser scanners). In phase II (2011 excavation season) the UC Merced team initiated the excavation of a Neolithic house (building 89), recording all the layers by time phase-shift scanners and computer vision techniques. The recording of the excavation process through the use of digital technologies gave the team the ability to generate 3D models of layers and micro-stratigraphies in stereovision during the excavation (using stereo projectors), so as to stimulate a new digital hermeneutics in archaeology. At the end of the fieldwork all the 3D models are accessible through a Teleimmersive system created by UC Merced and UC Berkeley. (Less)

Revisiting reflexive archaeology at Çatalhöyük : integrating digital and 3D technologies at the trowel’s edge

Abstract Excavations at Çatalhöyük have been ongoing for over 20 years and have involved multi-national teams, a diverse range of archaeological specialists and a vast archive of records. The task of marshalling this data so that it can be useful not only at the post-excavation stage, but also while making decisions in the field, is challenging. Here, members of the team reflect on the use of digital technology on-site to promote a reflexive engagement with the archaeology. They explore how digital data in a fieldwork context can break down communication barriers between specialists, foster an inclusive approach to the excavation process and facilitate reflexive engagement with recording and interpretation.

Virtual heritage in the cloud: new perspectives for the virtual museum of bologna

This paper focuses on the integration of Cloud computing tools and user-generated content into an online cultural virtual environment. Our investigation aimed to clarify whether the Metaverse can be used as a spatial interface for aggregation and synestetic visualization of heterogeneous cultural data distributed in the Cloud. The case study we adopted is Nu.M.E. 2010 a virtual reconstruction of Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, a crucial area of late medieval Bologna (Italy), published on the platform Second Life (SL). A newfound awareness and appreciation for the new epistemic scenario introduced by Cloud computing and virtualization techniques has raised the following methodological questions: can Cloud computing help optimize the communication strategy and educational effectiveness of cultural data online? Can historical research and cultural data interpretation benefit from collaborative annotation and user-generated content? The described application entailed the use within SL of some of the most popular virtualization services: Google Maps, Panoramio, Google Docs, and Google Warehouse. The results of our testing activity suggest that Cloud services currently available are in fact useful tools for reshaping an online virtual space into an effective collaborative place, allowing users to share content, take an active part in the interpretation process and, most importantly, to provide valid feedback for cultural reception analysis.

Multimodal reconstruction of landscape in serious games for heritage: An insight on the creation of Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse serious game

This paper identifies the significance of cultural landscapes in serious games as conveyers of cultural heritage and values the scientific reconstruction of the environment in digital-based learning tools. In this article we propose an effective methodology for producing historically validated landscapes in serious games for heritage which we adopted in the implementation of Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse serious game developed in Unity 3D. Fort Ross historical landscape has been produced through a multimodal approach incorporating data originated from LiDAR, terrestrial laser scanning, image-based 3D reconstruction, and 3D models created from historical and iconographical sources. This article seeks to answer specific research questions that belong to the field of serious games: what is the role of landscape in a serious game for heritage? Which landscape should we consider for reconstruction purposes and how? Which data acquisition technologies are optimal for use in which particular environmental scenarios?

Unveiling California History Through Serious Games: Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse

Between 1812 and 1841, Fort Ross was a Russian fur trading outpost and multi-cultural colony located in the Northern California coast. Current Fort Ross is a popular California State Historic Park visited every year by over 100,000 visitors from all over the world. In March 2011, California State Parks and the University of California Merced started the Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse project— a digital scholarship initiative aimed to enhance a pilot serious game on Fort Ross developed by California State Parks Staff in the early 2000s— with the goal to explore novel ways for archiving, disseminating, and teaching cultural and historical information. After twenty-four months of development, Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse serious game is ready to be tested in a user study with elementary school students. This paper exposes key features, design solutions and game mechanics of Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse along with preliminary assessments of the game performed as an expert evaluation by the leader of the Special Interest Group on “serious games for humanities and heritage” of the GALA Network of Excellence (www.galanoe.eu).

The Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse Project: A serious game for research and education

In March 2011, California State Parks entered an agreement with University of California Merced (UCM) to create an interactive, learning game able to educate students, schools and visitors about Fort Ross: the “Fort Ross Virtual Warehouse Project” (FRVWP). It is a web-based 3D game platform developed in Unity 3D that currently supports single player use, and in the near future will be developed for multiplayer functionality. This pilot program indeed demonstrates the value of an educational pre-learning tool for parents and students along with the teachers that come to the Fort to re-enact history. Through the use of this game, students have the opportunity to experience educational content and “role-play” in an environment that is immersive and highly interactive. The narrative, digital storytelling, and virtual reconstructions of buildings and environment, all count an accuracy based on scientific, historical and archaeological data. Ultimately, through user interaction, PCs and NPCs (non player characters) create an interesting dialogue between the site (real) and the experience of place (virtual and real).

Simulating History in Virtual Worlds

The usage of virtual worlds for simulating history has been little discussed, particularly when 3D3C worlds present scientifically accurate visualization of the past or re-enact specific socio-cultural dynamics and historical events. This chapter ponders the value of virtual worlds as tools for historical research and seeks answers to research questions such as: does social interaction within a historical virtual world change the way we perceive or remember our heritage? How can different viewpoints on history—in terms of class, race, ethnicity, and gender—be represented in a historical virtual world? What is the power of the visualization of the past on 3D3C worlds’ users? This chapter explores the production of knowledge of the past and digital memory in virtual worlds and strives to demonstrate that these media are cultural models capable of conveying new information about our heritage and societies.

Terrestrial Laser Scanning in the Age of Sensing

For more than a decade, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) has been a primary remote sensing technique for disciplines related to archaeology, architecture, built heritage, earth science, metrology, and land survey. The increasing precision, range, and survey speed of TLS make this technology even more viable for large-scale data capturing in the Age of Sensing. This chapter reviews the state of the art of Terrestrial Laser Scanning in 2015 with the aim to assess its applications in a context of lower data capturing costs for alternative technologies, such as new commodity sensors, Image-based 3D Modeling, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), optical 3D scanning, and Airborne Laser Scanning. More specifically, TLS still maintains a fundamental role in the documentation and interpretation of archaeological contexts at intrasite scale: (i) Terrestrial Laser Scanning delivers high-fidelity data of surfaces and structures of buildings as well as ultra-precise measurements of the morphology of stratigraphic layers; (ii) research in remote sensing proved that TLS point clouds can be successfully interpolated with data recorded with other instruments and techniques, such as magnetometry, Ground Penetrating Radar, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Image-Based Modeling, in order to generate hybrid documentation and new knowledge on natural and cultural heritage sites. Inevitably, the current advancements in TLS bring new questions. For example, how can micro-differences only visible in the point clouds change the analysis and interpretation of layers and buildings? How to improve the monitoring and conservation of a site via automated analysis of TLS data? How to enhance the mapping process of built-heritage using data segmentation or semi-automatic feature extraction of TLS point clouds? This chapter proposes a new approach to TLS based on multi-modal capture workflows, semi-automated post processing, online archiving, and online visualization and management of point clouds with the aim to open new horizons for digital archaeology, architectural survey, and heritage conservation .

3-D digital preservation of at-risk global cultural heritage

Recent current events have dramatically highlighted the vulnerability of the worlds material cultural heritage. The 3-D Digital Preservation of At-Risk Global Cultural Heritage project, led by Thomas Levy at UC San Diego, catalyzes a collaborative research effort by four University of California campuses (San Diego, Berkeley, Los Angeles and Merced) to use cyber-archaeology and computer graphics for cultural heritage to document and safeguard virtually some of the most at-risk heritage objects and places. Faculty and students involved in this project are conducting path-breaking archaeological research - covering more than 10,000 years of culture and architecture - in Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, and the United States. This project uses the 3-D archaeological data collected in numerous at-risk heritage places to study, forecast, and model the effects of human conflict, climate change, natural disasters and technological and cultural changes on these sites and landscapes. The greater challenge undertaken by this project is to integrate archaeological heritage data and digital heritage data using the recently-announced Pacific Research Platform (PRP) and its 10--100Gb/s network as well as virtual reality kiosks installed in each participating UC campus. Our aim is to link UC San Diego and the San Diego Supercomputer Center to other labs, libraries and museums at the other UC campuses to form a highly-networked collaborative platform for curation, analysis, and visualization of 3D archaeological heritage data.