Page 122 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

122basic aspects which are intended to cover the current situation, namely:• documentation, diagnosis and conserva- tion/preservation;• dissemination, enhancement and education, and• research.It should be explained to readers that expe- riences related to restoration have not been included. As this is a very speci c discipline in which digital technologies are of great impor- tance, it would require an extensive survey well beyond the scope of the present study.The selected case studies show how advances in computing and electronics have given rise to the application of arti cial intelligence, the Internet of Things, information and communication tech- nologies, 3D digitisation techniques and virtual, mixed and augmented reality technologies in the cultural heritage sector.What is more, these technologies have become extremely widespread in the twenty- rst century thanks to a variety of devices whose ubiquity and wireless connections are heralding the advent of the smart cities11 of the future, where cultural heritage will enjoy a predominant presence judging by the pioneering cases we are witnessing today.In addition to the mobile devices that are already well known, a number of new gadgets are spearheading the expansion of digital heritage, such as virtual reality and augmented reality smartglasses and drones or UAVs (unmanned ae- rial vehicles), whose rapid spread in recent years has given rise to experiences of great interest to sector professionals.Smartglasses are noteworthy because they immerse users in virtual environments andallow them to enjoy a more “live” experienceof cultural objects; indeed, this has led them to become one of the most cutting-edge resources in heritage dissemination. Drones, for their part, already have a fairly long track record in this eld; in particular, their use has become estab- lished in documentation work in combination with data acquisition techniques (digital photog- raphy or photogrammetry), which boost their potential in this eld.But without a doubt the most revolutionary breakthrough has been 3D printers, which can produce physical models of digital heritage – a new and important dimension full of possibilities hitherto regarded as utopian. Although we will examine a variety of applications, in this intro- duction we wish to stress a use related to acts of destruction of cultural heritage associated with war. In such cases 3D digital modelling and reconstruction is a palliative means of preserving the world’s cultural memory.All these developments are giving rise to a situation where three actors – sector profession- als, the public and heritage itself – are becoming interrelated as never before thanks to digital technologies.The survey is not limited to the areas com- mented on above. The range of possibilities spans a broad variety of examples and cases of good practice which duly illustrate the intrinsic and sound relationship that has been established between digital technologies and cultural heri- tage.INTRODUCTIONThe use of digital technologies in the conservation, analysis and dissemination of cultural heritage