What do we need to know about digital heritage?--Part 2

Followed the last post, Today I am going to focus on these two questions of Digital Heritage? 

• What are the principles or guidelines for the preservation of the digital heritage?
• What are the application scenarios for digitalization of cultural heritage?

Cultural heritage has various forms, including architectural structures, cave temples, tombs, stone inscriptions, murals, heritage sites, and so on. It also covers important objects, works of art and literature, manuscripts, books, and other articles of interest (UNESCO, 1972).

In October 2001, the Director-General of UNESCO published a report on the draft Digital Cultural Heritage Protection Programme; On March 1, 2002, the European Commission's expert report "Preserving Tomorrow's Memory" pointed out the main challenges and potential actions; May 23, 2002: The resolution of the Council of the European Union states "Future of European Cultural Cooperation"; In the second half of 2002: UNESCO drafted the Charteron Guidelines for the Preservation of the Digital Heritage. These principles are the guidance of conservation of digital heritage.

UNESCO's Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage is divided into four major sections (11). The first part describes the scope and definition of the digital heritage; the second part describes the purpose of protection (cultural diversity, prevention on cultural heritage loss, guaranteeing the accessibility and integrity of digital cultural heritage); The third section points out how to organize the protection of digital resources (technical framework and legal framework); the fourth part is the identification of international cooperation and responsibility.

Digital technology plays an important role in the archaeological field and cultural heritage conservation and interpretation area.

Collecting cultural relics spatial information using 3D laser scanning, panorama and other technologies (Source: WMWB Technology &Culture ltd.co, Peking University)

Examples:

1> Archaeological research

Using 3D visualization to predict the location of heritage sites.

2> Heritage Archive work

Digital images, digital videos, 3D models, and other multimedia information have gradually become integral components of cultural heritage archival management.

3>Conservation work

Digital technology can improve environmental monitoring efficiency. It also helps to strengthen security of heritage information through biological authentication and digital encryption, especially on the net.

4>Exhibition work

 It is an important approach of cultural diffusion and education.  Virtual reality can make visitors step into the scenes of ancient life through an interactive immersion exhibition, and also give visitors the opportunity to enjoy the images of cultural heritage freely through the network.

5>Utilization of cultural heritage

3D animation, and recreation of an ancient cultural style. The digital technologies provide a possible means to solve conflicts between the conservation and utilization of cultural heritage, like tourism and conservation.

Thanks for reading! Please share your comments and ideas with me~ THANKS!

Reference: 
Lu, D., Pan, Y. (2011). Digital Preservation for Heritages: Technologies and Applications. Germany: Zhejiang University Press.
UNESCO (1972) UNESCO World Heritage Convention, article 1, 2. http://whc. unesco.org/en/conventiontext/. Accessed 22 Oct 2019 UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS (1994) Nara Document on Authenticity, article 13. http://www.international.icomos.org/charters/nara e.htm/. Accessed 22 Oct 2019
Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage(2003) Accessed 22 Oct 2019 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php URL_ID=17721&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html