Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ChemiNova (Novel technologies for on-site and remote collaborative enriched monitoring to detect structural and chemical damages in cultural heritage assets)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-02-01 al 2025-04-30
Europe's Cultural Heritage (CH) is a rich and diverse melting pot of traditions, monuments, and communities that shape our identity, well-being, and sense of belonging. But Europe's CH is not only a testament to our past but also a foundation for our future. The urgency to protect it from natural and human-made hazards has grown in recent years due to the increasing impacts of climate-induced extreme events and armed conflicts. The ChemiNova project is a collaborative effort involving experts from various fields, including conservation science, digital technology, and cultural studies. By integrating these disciplines, we aim to create innovative solutions and develop a range of technologies to enhance the conservation, analysis, and monitoring of CH assets that are both effective and sustainable. By gathering and analyzing diverse data within a common reference frame, we address structural and chemical damages. In summary, we will facilitate the work of conservators by providing a single framework to document, digitize, classify, and share information for CH conservation, utilizing advanced interactive technologies like augmented reality and virtual collaborative spaces. In addition to technological advancements, ChemiNova also prioritizes education and training. By providing conservators with the tools and knowledge they need to effectively use new technologies, we can enhance their ability to preserve CH for future generations. Moreover, ChemiNova emphasizes the importance of community involvement. Local communities are often the first to notice changes in their environment, and their knowledge and observations are invaluable. By engaging with these communities, we can ensure that our conservation efforts are grounded in local realities and benefit from the insights of those who live and work in these areas.
Objective 1 (OB1): Develop novel and cost-effective ways for remote and on-site monitoring of CH assets.
Objective 2 (OB2): Develop advanced analysis of structural and chemical damages of CH due to human-induced threats.
Objective 3 (OB3): Integrate data of previous interventions to allow its analysing and comparison at different moments.
Objective 4 (OB4): Involving heritage practitioners and non-experts in conservation processes, while considering end-users at the centre of our tools and methods.
Objective 1 (OB1): Develop novel and cost-effective ways for remote and on-site monitoring of CH assets.
Objective 2 (OB2): Develop advanced analysis of structural and chemical damages of CH due to human-induced threats.
Objective 3 (OB3): Integrate data of previous interventions to allow its analysing and comparison at different moments.
Objective 4 (OB4): Involving heritage practitioners and non-experts in conservation processes, while considering end-users at the centre of our tools and methods.
We are working on:
• ChemiAI: Developing methods based on deep learning to automatically detect damage on CH assets due to climate change and other human-induced threats.
• ChemiPortal: A web-based application that serves as the main access point for the ChemiNova Database. It provides capabilities for managing users and integrating new tools for administrators and content management and review for specialists and contributors.
• ChemiAnalisys: A desktop application in Unity that offers integrated visualization and analysis of extended 3D models (e3D) stored in the ChemiNova Database. Users can visualize artifacts scanned with different sensors and navigate through the timeline of scans, highlighting damages. Functionalities unique to the platform allow for in-depth analysis and the creation of new annotations, supporting collaborative efforts for cultural heritage preservation.
• ChemiInspection: An augmented reality application for on-site artifact inspection, enabling digitization of conditional reports and spatial relationship determination during inspection.
• ChemiSensing: A collaborative mixed-platform shared space for inspecting and documenting tangible e3D models. Local users provide information through augmented reality, while remote users access the environment through mixed reality.
• ChemiSee: A non-expert targeted platform connecting ChemiNova applications data with cultural heritage artifacts and their communities. Implemented as a decentralized web platform, local communities can integrate their cultural heritage into a Euro-pean or global digital network of digital cultural heritage twins.
To store this information, a scalable data storage system called ChemiModel was developed, supporting multidimensional representations of objects, including spatial, spectral, photometric, semantic, and temporal information. These 3D models, called e3D models, are enriched with data.
An API was developed to enable information retrieval from various tools, creating a unified repository.
The system uses open standards like REST web services for interoperability, improving connectivity and reuse by third parties to enrich information and exchange.
• ChemiAI: Developing methods based on deep learning to automatically detect damage on CH assets due to climate change and other human-induced threats.
• ChemiPortal: A web-based application that serves as the main access point for the ChemiNova Database. It provides capabilities for managing users and integrating new tools for administrators and content management and review for specialists and contributors.
• ChemiAnalisys: A desktop application in Unity that offers integrated visualization and analysis of extended 3D models (e3D) stored in the ChemiNova Database. Users can visualize artifacts scanned with different sensors and navigate through the timeline of scans, highlighting damages. Functionalities unique to the platform allow for in-depth analysis and the creation of new annotations, supporting collaborative efforts for cultural heritage preservation.
• ChemiInspection: An augmented reality application for on-site artifact inspection, enabling digitization of conditional reports and spatial relationship determination during inspection.
• ChemiSensing: A collaborative mixed-platform shared space for inspecting and documenting tangible e3D models. Local users provide information through augmented reality, while remote users access the environment through mixed reality.
• ChemiSee: A non-expert targeted platform connecting ChemiNova applications data with cultural heritage artifacts and their communities. Implemented as a decentralized web platform, local communities can integrate their cultural heritage into a Euro-pean or global digital network of digital cultural heritage twins.
To store this information, a scalable data storage system called ChemiModel was developed, supporting multidimensional representations of objects, including spatial, spectral, photometric, semantic, and temporal information. These 3D models, called e3D models, are enriched with data.
An API was developed to enable information retrieval from various tools, creating a unified repository.
The system uses open standards like REST web services for interoperability, improving connectivity and reuse by third parties to enrich information and exchange.
Scientific Impact: Generating new knowledge through data gathering and sharing, integrated data linking, applying MR-based remote collaboration, strengthening conservation databases, and increasing human capital in R&I by involving students and promoting young careers.
Economic Impact: Enhancing the specialisation of cultural heritage practitioners and their job market access. Providing cost-effective solutions by adapting pre-existing technologies, increasing efficiency, and decreasing costs through remote monitoring. The project also aims to ensure commercial exploitation, at least as a demonstrator, with potential for a market-oriented strategy for specific technologies like UAVs and RTI.
Societal Impact: Promoting people-centred conservation, involving local communities and non-experts,. Strengthening remote collaboration and capacity building. Raising awareness on human-induced threats through immersive technologies and events. Contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future for communities.
Policy Impact: Informing future policy making and contributing to safeguarding European cultural heritage by highlighting climate change effects,. The goal includes a potential charter or recommendation formally adopted by the EU on pollutant regulation and their effect on cultural heritage.
Key Needs to Ensure Further Uptake and Success: ChemiNova aims to ensure the uptake and success of its results through dissemination, exploitation, and addressing barriers to adoption. This includes active communication with stakeholders, strategic exploitation plans, and capacity-building programs. The project also focuses on intellectual property rights, data management, standardization, internationalization, and further research and demonstration.
Economic Impact: Enhancing the specialisation of cultural heritage practitioners and their job market access. Providing cost-effective solutions by adapting pre-existing technologies, increasing efficiency, and decreasing costs through remote monitoring. The project also aims to ensure commercial exploitation, at least as a demonstrator, with potential for a market-oriented strategy for specific technologies like UAVs and RTI.
Societal Impact: Promoting people-centred conservation, involving local communities and non-experts,. Strengthening remote collaboration and capacity building. Raising awareness on human-induced threats through immersive technologies and events. Contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future for communities.
Policy Impact: Informing future policy making and contributing to safeguarding European cultural heritage by highlighting climate change effects,. The goal includes a potential charter or recommendation formally adopted by the EU on pollutant regulation and their effect on cultural heritage.
Key Needs to Ensure Further Uptake and Success: ChemiNova aims to ensure the uptake and success of its results through dissemination, exploitation, and addressing barriers to adoption. This includes active communication with stakeholders, strategic exploitation plans, and capacity-building programs. The project also focuses on intellectual property rights, data management, standardization, internationalization, and further research and demonstration.