OpenLab Evaluation of CAnTi Advancing Conservation of Ancient Tiryns through Virtual and Mixed Reality Interactive Applications

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Published: Aug 6, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26265/jiim.v9i1.37818
Keywords:
open lab mixed reality conservation restoration interactive applications cultural heritage
Markos Konstantakis
University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece
Angeliki Chrysanthi
University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece
Efthymia Moraitou
University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece
Konstantinos Kotsopoulos
University of the Patras, Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics, Greece
Nikolaos Papastamatiou
3SenseWorks Ltd, Research Department, Greece
Alkistis Papadimitriou
Ministry of Culture and Sports, Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolida, Greece
George Caridakis
University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece
Abstract

Purpose - The Conservation of Ancient Tiryns (CAnTi) research project aims to improve the presentation and understanding of conservation and restoration (CnR) data for the Acropolis of Ancient Tiryns. To achieve this goal, the project focuses on designing and implementing virtual and mixed reality interactive applications. These applications serve as innovative tools for visualizing and communicating crucial CnR data, bridging the gap between specialists and the public while enhancing visitors' engagement and experience.


Design/methodology/approach - Apart from the finalization of the design and the development of the interactive applications, the evaluation in terms of their efficacy along four fundamental axes presents a field of interest. Firstly, the engagement of the public with the CnR domain will be assessed through the utilization of an OpenLab approach, which enables users to interact with and explore the applications in a user-friendly manner. Secondly, the comprehension of the information material regarding CnR interventions presented through the applications will be evaluated to ensure that the conveyed knowledge is clear and accessible to a wide range of audiences. Thirdly, the user-friendliness and efficiency of the virtual and mixed-reality applications will be closely scrutinized to optimize the overall visitor experience and ensure seamless navigation. Lastly, the satisfaction of specialists, who must be able to communicate complex CnR data with the public supported by the applications, will be gauged to understand how well the proposed approach facilitates their interactions.


Findings -Through this comprehensive evaluation, the research team aims to gain valuable insights into the extent to which the developed applications can effectively present and communicate CnR data on behalf of specialists. Additionally, this study aims to identify areas for improvement that can enhance overall visitor engagement and experience during their interaction with the Acropolis of Ancient Tiryns.

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Author Biographies
Markos Konstantakis, University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece

Markos Konstantakis serves as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of the Aegean, where he is a member of the Intelligent Interaction research group (ii.aegean.gr). He received a Ph.D. in the same department, entitled: "Augmented Cultural User Experience (ACUX)” and a master’s degree in "Specialization in Information Systems, Networks, and Telecommunications" from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the Hellenic Open University (HOU). Markos completed a degree and a master's degree as a Marine Mechanical Engineer at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).

Angeliki Chrysanthi, University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece

Dr. Angeliki Chrysanthi currently serves as an Lecturer at the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication of the University of the Aegean, in Greece. Her background is in Art History and Archaeology (BA, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece), in Protection of Monuments (M.Sc., National Technical University of Athens, Greece), and she holds a doctoral degree from the University of Southampton, UK. Her thesis entitled “Augmenting Archaeological Walks. Theoretical and Methodological Considerations”, examines the role of interpretative design in visitor movement and behaviour in spaces of cultural significance, and the contribution of qualitative research alongside computation and novel technologies to this research inquiry. During and after her postgraduate studies, she worked in her capacity as a Digital Heritage expert and researcher in Greece and mainly abroad. In 2016, she was appointed as Digital Humanities Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Sheffield and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Chester in the UK before moving to Greece in 2017.

Efthymia Moraitou, University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece

Efthymia-Themis Moraitou graduated from the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art of the Technological Educational Institute (T.E.I.) of Athens in 2014. As a student, volunteer and finally professional she worked in organized laboratories on artworks conservation, as well as in situ on historic buildings wall paintings preservation and restoration. Due to her strong interest on the application of new technologies on Cultural Sector, she continued her studies and in 2017 she received the MSc in Cultural Informatics and Communication from the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication of the University of the Aegean, majoring on the Design of Digital Cultural Products. Her dissertation focused on the knowledge representation and semantic search using ontology on the domain of artworks conservation. Today, she is a PhD candidate of the Department on the field of semantic technologies on the Cultural Heritage Preservation domain. She is interested in knowledge representation, ontological engineering, semantic web and services, metadata, LOD and digitization applications on Cultural Heritage.

Konstantinos Kotsopoulos, University of the Patras, Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics, Greece

Konstantinos Kotsopoulos is a seasoned project manager and technology consultant with a track record of success in the information technology and services industries. IT strategy, management, software system analysis and design, 2D-3D digitization of cultural assets, multimedia, gamification, and extended reality are all areas of expertise. A strong research professional with a Master of Science degree in Geoinformatics from the National Technical University of Athens and a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Computer Engineering & Informatics, University of Patras.

Nikolaos Papastamatiou, 3SenseWorks Ltd, Research Department, Greece

Nikolaos Papastamatiou is an Application Developer and Software Project manager. Graduated from Aegean University in 1998 with a Bachelor’s degree on Mathematics. Masters degree in Distributed and Multimedia Information Systems from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland in 1999. Vocational Training in Project Management from National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Research interests in the fields of Web Development, Virtual Worlds, Grid Computing, ontologies, semantic web and Natural Language Processing. Specialties: Expertise on information system methodologies, Relational Database Systems, multimedia and hypermedia, distributed systems design, artificial intelligent, networking and interactive systems.

Alkistis Papadimitriou, Ministry of Culture and Sports, Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolida, Greece

Alkistis Papadimitriou is a graduate of the History and Archeology Department of the University of Athens and a PhD in Classical Archeology from the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany. He worked for a number of years on the excavation of the German archaeological institute in the Lower Acropolis of Tiryns and was a scientific assistant to the late excavator Klaus Kilian. Today he is the Superintendent of Antiquities of Argolis.

George Caridakis, University of the Aegean, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, Greece

Associate Prof. George Caridakis (http://ii.ct.aegean.gr/) serves as a faculty member, Assistant Professor, the Department of Cultural Technology & Communication, University of the Aegean where he founded and coordinates the Intelligent Interaction Research Group (ii.aegean.gr), a recently established but dynamic research group already making an impact attracting Regional and National funding and participating in numerous International conferences and workshops. He is also affiliated as an Adjunct Professor at the Athena RC (athenarc.gr/en) and as a Senior Researcher with the Intelligent Systems, Content and Interaction Laboratory, National Technical University of Athens. He offers courses offered in undergraduate and postgraduate levels in different institutions and supervises PhD, MSc and undergraduate theses. He has served in boards and committees and as a reviewer in numerous international scientific journals, conferences and workshops and is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Affective Computing and the board of the Greek ACM SIGCHI Special Interest Group in Computer-Human Interaction.

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