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Virtual and augmented reality for cultural computing and heritage: a case study of virtual exploration of underwater archaeological sites (preprint)

  • SI: Cultural Technology
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Abstract

The paper presents different issues dealing with both the preservation of cultural heritage using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies in a cultural context. While the VR/AR technologies are mentioned, the attention is paid to the 3D visualization, and 3D interaction modalities illustrated through three different demonstrators: the VR demonstrators (immersive and semi-immersive) and the AR demonstrator including tangible user interfaces. To show the benefits of the VR and AR technologies for studying and preserving cultural heritage, we investigated the visualisation and interaction with reconstructed underwater archaeological sites. The base idea behind using VR and AR techniques is to offer archaeologists and general public new insights on the reconstructed archaeological sites allowing archaeologists to study directly from within the virtual site and allowing the general public to immersively explore a realistic reconstruction of the sites. Both activities are based on the same VR engine, but drastically differ in the way they present information and exploit interaction modalities. The visualisation and interaction techniques developed through these demonstrators are the results of the ongoing dialogue between the archaeological requirements and the technological solutions developed.

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Notes

  1. “Arpenteur” photogrammetric tool is developed by Pierre Drap’s team at LSIS, in Marseille, France (Drap and Grussenmeyer 2000).

  2. http://raxenv.brgm.fr/.

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Acknowledgments

VENUS is partially supported by the European Community under project VENUS (Contract IST-034924) of the “Information Society Technologies (IST) programme of the 6th FP for RTD”. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this paper. It does not represent the opinion of the European Community, and the European Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of data appearing therein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire IBISC, Université d’Evry, 40 rue du Pelvoux, 91020, Evry, France

    Mahmoud Haydar, David Roussel, Madjid Maïdi, Samir Otmane & Malik Mallem

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  1. Mahmoud Haydar
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  2. David Roussel
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  3. Madjid Maïdi
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  4. Samir Otmane
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  5. Malik Mallem
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Correspondence to Mahmoud Haydar.

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Haydar, M., Roussel, D., Maïdi, M. et al. Virtual and augmented reality for cultural computing and heritage: a case study of virtual exploration of underwater archaeological sites (preprint). Virtual Reality 15, 311–327 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-010-0176-4

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