Dynamic collections

The recent development and use of 3D acquisition and visualization technology have contributed to the rapid emergence of a large number of 3D collections, whose production has been most often justified to trigger a process of data democratization and diffusion. Despite the fact that several 3D collections are now available online in different forms, it is not clear how those data (once stored) are used by other specialists (or non-professionals) to produce new knowledge. Is this data democratization process really taking place? And are the 3D models stored in these new archives capable of serving the needs of different specialists across the cultural heritage (CH) sector?
Despite their limited outreach, traditional archaeological collections have been successfully employed in the past for supporting archaeological studies, for dating contexts and sites and for training archaeologists operating everyday in the field. Is it possible to create 3D collections capable of extensively supporting the community of researchers in the same efficient way?

By using state of the art 3D web visualization technology, and by studying the way researchers and students use and interact with archaeological objects, this project aims at defining novel 3D web archives capable of fostering large scale knowledge production and data reuse. The development of such project will revolutionize the way specialists interact with archaeological material promoting best practice and quality in heritage and material studies.