Study
ModellingRecentStrong effect

Digital Twins of Exhibitions Enhance Accessibility and Preservation

Creating digital twins of temporary exhibitions using hybrid acquisition techniques and open technologies significantly improves their accessibility and potential for long-term preservation.

Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage · 2023

01

Key Findings

  • 01Hybrid acquisition techniques can be effectively used to create digital twins of complex exhibition environments.
  • 02The use of open technologies and formats is crucial for ensuring the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR principles) of digital cultural heritage.
  • 03Digitizing temporary exhibitions extends their lifespan and broadens their reach beyond physical visitors.
02

Application

Design takeaway

When designing digital experiences for cultural heritage, integrate hybrid 3D modeling techniques and open standards to create accessible, interoperable, and preservable digital twins of physical exhibitions.

How to apply

Institutions planning temporary exhibitions should incorporate a digital twin strategy from the outset, allocating resources for hybrid 3D data acquisition and utilizing open platforms for dissemination.

Project actions

  • 01When documenting a design process, clearly outline the different digital acquisition methods used (e.g., photogrammetry, laser scanning).
  • 02Justify the choice of specific file formats and software based on their open standards and interoperability.
  • 03Consider how metadata will be structured to make the digital artifact easily searchable and understandable.
03

Method & Evidence

AimHow can hybrid acquisition techniques and open technologies be utilized to create accessible and interoperable digital twins of temporary exhibitions for cultural heritage preservation?
MethodCase Study and Process Documentation
ProcedureThe project involved a preliminary study of the exhibition's constraints, followed by the acquisition, processing, modeling, optimization, export, and metadata creation of the exhibition content. A hybrid approach combining different acquisition techniques was employed to generate digital representations of the exhibition objects and environment. Open technologies, formats, and protocols were prioritized for the final digital product.
ContextMuseums and Cultural Heritage Institutions

Variables

IV["Hybrid acquisition techniques","Use of open technologies/formats"]
DV["Accessibility of digital twin","Interoperability of digital twin","Reusability of digital twin","Findability of digital twin"]
CV["Type of exhibition content","Specific exhibition being digitized"]
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Addresses a practical need in cultural heritage preservation.
  • +Employs a hybrid approach to data acquisition, potentially leading to more comprehensive digital models.
  • +Focuses on open technologies, promoting accessibility and long-term viability.

Limitations

The complexity and cost of professional 3D scanning equipment can be a barrier. Ensuring accurate color and texture reproduction in digital models can be challenging.

Reliability & validity

The reliability of the digital twin depends on the consistency of the acquisition process and the chosen software. Validity is supported by the aim to create an accurate representation of the original exhibition, though the 'experience' aspect may be harder to validate.

Think critically

To what extent can digital twins fully capture the 'experience' of a physical exhibition, and what are the ethical considerations regarding the representation and ownership of digitized cultural heritage?

05

Design Principles

"Embrace hybrid digital modeling and open standards to ensure the longevity and accessibility of cultural heritage content."

This approach allows cultural heritage institutions to overcome physical space limitations and the transient nature of temporary exhibitions. By digitizing and modeling these events, their content can be preserved indefinitely and made available to a global audience, fostering wider engagement and research opportunities.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Making digital copies of temporary museum exhibits helps save them forever and lets anyone see them online, even after the real exhibit is gone.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this study when discussing the creation of digital models or prototypes of transient designs, emphasizing the benefits of digital preservation and accessibility.
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Add to My Project

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Quick Cite

(2023). Saving temporary exhibitions in virtual environments: The Digital Renaissance of Ulisse Aldrovandi – Acquisition and digitisation of cultural heritage objects. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2023.e00309 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/4fb00c36-52de-460a-9fa2-565fe558b70f/digital-twins-of-exhibitions-enhance-accessibility-and-preservation

Paragraph starter

The creation of digital twins for temporary exhibitions, as demonstrated by Balzani et al. (2023), offers a robust method for preserving transient cultural heritage. By employing hybrid acquisition techniques and prioritizing open technologies, such as glTF for 3D models and standardized metadata schemas, designers can ensure that digital representations are not only accurate but also accessible, interoperable, and reusable, thereby extending the exhibition's impact beyond its physical duration and safeguarding its content for future generations.

09

Source

Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Saving temporary exhibitions in virtual environments: The Digital Renaissance of Ulisse Aldrovandi – Acquisition and digitisation of cultural heritage objects

journal · 2023

View source

Questions about this research

What does the research say about digital twins of exhibitions enhance accessibility and preservation?
When designing digital experiences for cultural heritage, integrate hybrid 3D modeling techniques and open standards to create accessible, interoperable, and preservable digital twins of physical exhibitions. Evidence: Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (2023).
Why does "Digital Twins of Exhibitions Enhance Accessibility and Preservation" matter for design?
This approach allows cultural heritage institutions to overcome physical space limitations and the transient nature of temporary exhibitions. By digitizing and modeling these events, their content can be preserved indefinitely and made available to a global audience, fostering wider engagement and research opportunities.
How can designers apply this research?
When designing digital experiences for cultural heritage, integrate hybrid 3D modeling techniques and open standards to create accessible, interoperable, and preservable digital twins of physical exhibitions.
What were the main findings?
Hybrid acquisition techniques can be effectively used to create digital twins of complex exhibition environments.. The use of open technologies and formats is crucial for ensuring the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR principles) of digital cultural heritage.. Digitizing temporary exhibitions extends their lifespan and broadens their reach beyond physical visitors.
What research method was used?
Case Study and Process Documentation.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage.
What should I do differently in my next project?
Institutions planning temporary exhibitions should incorporate a digital twin strategy from the outset, allocating resources for hybrid 3D data acquisition and utilizing open platforms for dissemination.
What are the limitations?
The digital twin creation process is ongoing, and the full impact and user engagement metrics are yet to be determined. The effectiveness of specific hybrid acquisition techniques may vary depending on the exhibition's materials and complexity.
Is there evidence that temporary exhibitions affects design outcomes?
By combining different digital acquisition methods and using open standards, it's possible to create detailed digital replicas of temporary exhibitions that can be accessed and reused online, ensuring their content is preserved and widely available. This approach allows cultural heritage institutions to overcome physic Source: Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (2023).
Where does this cultural heritage research apply?
Museums and Cultural Heritage Institutions It sits within modelling research on designdex.org.

Related research topics

temporary exhibitions design research · evidence on temporary exhibitions · does temporary exhibitions improve design outcomes · cultural heritage studies for designers · temporary exhibitions and cultural heritage findings · modelling research evidence