Page 129 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

to design individual templates in accordance with the speci c needs of the various collections and cultural objects. All the information about the cultural objects was gathered with the sup- port of metadata, so that the information could be used for cross-institutional research, thereby optimising the search options. For metadata management31 controlled vocabularies, authority les and thesauruses were used (Geonames, GND...) and a generic data model was developed which included core categories (object and media type, date, place...) for di erent types of objects. This basic data is compulsory and will be mapped to the EDM (Europeana Data Model Documentation) in order to guarantee a consis- tent global database including all the collections involved.The creation of this digital repository will make Styria’s cultural heritage available to teachers, researchers, students and professionals of the sector and will document and give visibility to the collections, as well as providing a point of departure for new scienti c research and cultural activities.Metadata and cultural heritage of Kinmen (Taiwan)The small archipelago of Kinmen (Taiwan) was the focus of a project which used a geographic information system to design a digital manage- ment resource for cultural heritage involving the integration, collaboration and exchange of resources by sector professionals (Yang et al., 2014).32The research was carried out jointly by the National Taipei University of Technology and the China University of Technology, both in Taipei (Taiwan), as part of the Research Programme 2010–2014 of the Ministry of Science and Tech- nology.The project considered that the system could improve the tasks carried out during the various phases of recording, restoring and maintainingeach asset, according to the parameters estab- lished by Taiwan’s cultural heritage laws and the concepts of World Heritage.The prototype for this metadata planning and GIS management platform33 included morethan two hundred elements such as historic monuments, relics and historic buildings. Italso incorporated existing information, such as research reports, conservation plans and man- agement strategies, which were completed with graphic and multimedia information that will be of great importance to users who consult the system database.Basically, the system was intended to comply with the international standard for managing cultural heritage metadata and was ultimately linked to Kinmen’s aspirations of applying to be on the World Heritage List.1.4 Digital photogrammetry/3D laser scanningThe importance of recording and documenting cultural heritage using digital photogrammetry and 3D laser scanning techniques is internationally recognised, and new instruments, data-gathering methodologies and high-resolution 3D represen- tations are constantly being developed. These techniques make a signi cant contribution to digital documentation, mapmaking and the conservation and dissemination of heritage.Visualisation/virtualisation and preventive planning are innovative and powerful documen- tation tools in the eld of conservation. Photo- grammetry and laser scanning are among the metric techniques used to document heritageas opposed to other traditional techniques like photography or surveying. Recent experience in digitally documenting heritage using photogram- metry and laser scanning, both separately and in combination, shows that more detailed results can be obtained, as they are truly accurate at recovering lost elements and obtaining data thatAC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2017129t gThe use of digital technologies in the conservation, analysis and dissemination of cultural heritage