Unlocking 3D Digital Heritage, Henk Alkemade and Kate Fernie (CARARE)

Presentation given by Henk Alkemade and Kate Fernie at EXARC's annual conference "Digitalisation in Open-Air Museums and Reconstructions".

After a short introduction to CARARE, the presentation gives some inspiring examples of 3D digital cultural heritage from across Europe. It discusses how the content is created, used and re-used. How using standards and metadata help to unlock digital heritage and make the content FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). It gives examples of content which is FAIR and different types of uses in museums

1. Introduction This presentation will present some inspiring examples of 3D digital heritage from across Europe. We will talk about how the content is created, used and re-used how using standards and metadata help to unlock 3D digital heritage and make it FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and discuss some lessons learned

2. About us! CARARE has been working with heritage organisations and archaeologists across Europe since 2010 offering support and practical assistance in sharing datasets with Europeana We are a non-profit membership association aiming to advance professional practice and foster appreciation of the digital archaeological and architectural heritage EXARC is one of CARARE’s members CARARE is a partner in the consortium for the implementation of the Common European Dataspace for CH and in several projects working with 3D – notably 5D C ulture , Tech4Heritage and 4CH We have a help desk and can offer advice on 3D https://www.carare.eu Contact: [email protected] Twitter: @projectCARARE Training hub: https://www.carare.eu/en/training/ Webinars on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user124611809

3. Why digitise cultural heritage in 3D? INCEPTION Platform 3D digitisation is valuable for conservation, research, education, tourism and for documenting heritage at risk It offers access to heritage in places that are hard to reach and for people who are unable to visit in person It allows the sector to make connections and to create rich experiences for their audiences

4. Creating 3D Recording in 3D structure at Knowth , Brú na Bóinne , Discovery Programme, CC-BY-NC Scanning the Girl with the Pearl Earring, Mauritshuis,Kate Fernie, CC-BY 3D is used on cultural heritage assets of very different size and scale – from large monuments and buildings to small objects. Environmental conditions may vary widely. The methods, techniques and workflow differ according to the object, the environmental conditions and the purpose of the project. The audience for the content and how they will use it, also influences what is captured, how and its quality. Capture is the first step.

5. The process has many steps A white statue being digitized. https://pro.europeana.eu/post/scanning-cultural-heritage-in-3d-in-challenging-situations-a-practical-approach Creating 3D models is a complex with many stages – from capture, post processing, optimization, modelling, animation and annotation. Different people, equipment and software are used at different stages. If we want to make sure the content is unlocked for future uses We need to think about standards, metadata, rights and access licenses.

6. Case study: Hunt Museum, Limerick, Ireland The museum digitises in 3D To publish items from their collection online To increase access worldwide and to encourage research To increase accessibility and offer new forms of access For education

7. 3D projects – volunteering and the community For the Hunt museum 3D digitisation has been a way for volunteers, students and community members to get involved and learn new skills.

8. Outputs 3D digitisation results in more than one output for the Hunt museum: 3D models published in Sketchfab, embedded in the museum’s website and shared with Europeana Printed 3D objects to allow visitors to have a tactile experience of objects behind glass Interactive gallery displays to explore CNC printing of objects for the museum garden in central Limerick Re-uses in games and educational materials

9. Unlocking 3D for reuse          Olmec Man | La Venta , Mesoamerica | c 700 BC | Jade | Hunt Museum | PD Standards, metadata and access licences are important for your own future projects They also enable other projects –for research, education, creativity etc. Here’s where FAIR data come in! Courtesy The Digital Programme , Ireland Roisin Fitzpatrick

10. Findability – how can I find your model? As well as good 3D content we need good quality metadata: To find the content that exists To understand the cultural heritage that is represented and how it was digitised To enable the content to be shared

11. Persistent identifiers and searchable metadata A persistent identifier is a unique URL which identifies your object, and is backed by a system which undertake to maintain the record into the future, e.g. DOI, Handle, ARK, or PURL Rich metadata allows users to find your content by searching for a variety of keywords, dates, subjects, creators, etc. Sharing the metadata with other platforms (like Europeana) increases findability.

12. Accessibility Once users have found your data it needs to be accessible. This has two aspects, the first is where the data is deposited and how it can be retrieved. 13 Image: European Data Journalism Network If a user must phone a curator or librarian to ask for access to the data it is not accessible. FAIR data does not have to be fully open or free but it should be easy to find out how to access and use the data. One way of making sure your data will remain accessible is by depositing in a Trusted Digital Repository.

13. Interoperability A single 3D project often consists of several data files (point clouds, models and 2D image files for rendering and texturing,) plus documentation about the project, equipment and methods. Technology is evolving rapidly. The focus here is on: Allowing others (including future members of your team) to open and re-use the data in future Being able to connect 3D with other data Sharing metadata with other platforms

14. Interoperability – file formats There is a variety of software in use producing data in non-standardized formats, which may not be openable in other software. When storing your data: Migrating files to preferred formats means that it can be opened in many common software applications. Preferred formats include: Common 3D file formats (such as glTF , X3D, STL, OBJ, DAE, PLY, WRL, DICOM and IFC) can be opened in many common software applications which helps both access and reuse Saving point clouds in ASCII file types mean these can be opened in a text editor. Providing good enough documentation to allow others to open and re-use the data in future is also important

15. Interoperability – metadata Using metadata standards and vocabularies supports interoperability Metadata Standard = The fields you should fill in to adequately describe your data, e.g. title, description, subject, author, etc. Vocabulary = The values you should use to fill in those fields, e.g. LCSH term “Excavations (Archaeology)--Antiquities”

16. Vocabularies Printed vocabularies and wordlists are great for improving the consistency of your data but Linked (Open) Data is superior 17 Extract from the Thesaurus of Monument Types, Forum on Information Standards in Heritage, 2020 http://www.heritage-standards.org.uk/fish-vocabularies/ For example, Getty’s Art and Architecture Thesaurus: UIDs for each concept label Concept labels are available multiple languages Broader and narrower concepts

17. Metadata An example of metadata for 3D using our Share3D dashboard The exported metadata is in Europeana’s EDM format.

18. Reusable Rights statements express the copyright status of a digital object and provide information about how someone can re-use the object. Standardised rights statements (for example from Creative Commons or RightsStatements.org ) give information about rights in clear and simple language and are machine readable.

19. FAIR by example The University Research Institute for Iberian Archaeology educational event at the Iberian Museum of Jaén re-using 3D models for inclusive education, sparking curiosity and hands-on learning.

20. 3D reconstructions for story telling Ename 1665 - the timber harbour - https://youtu.be/HGd3LUrqNyI   3D digitisation allows us to create accurate virtual reconstructions of historical sites and to use these as interactive story telling tools. Sites and museum objects can be brought to life while setting the 3D reconstruction in its wider historical context

21. Animated scenes Lillo 1640 - closing the gate - https://youtu.be/enwKbaeGv80   In this model the gate is animated. Closing the gate allows us to talk about: how the fortress was defended Weapons and ammunition Historical events

22. Interactive objects Eham 1291 - a manuscript in the making - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B29RqEduJGI&t=63s   In this model selecting the manuscript tells the story of: the scriptorium the monk/scribe  the book and you can hear the text in Dutch

23. Use in the museum 3D reconstructions of Ename used to create a timeline which is accessible in the site museum On site in kiosks Online in Europeana https://youtu.be/B6KiISEH7fY (

24. Issues for discussion What really matters to you when you’re thinking about reusing a 3D model? Is it the quality of the model (the precision and accuracy with which the data was captured)? Is it the historical authenticity (the way the historical sources have been interpreted? Is it having access to the technical metadata and paradata needed to use the model in your project? Or some other factor…. 25

25. Thank you! Kate Fernie [email protected] Henk Alkemade [email protected] Website: https://www.carare.eu Contact: [email protected] Twitter:@ projectCARARE Training Hub: https://www.carare.eu/en/training/ Webinars on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user124611809