Integrating data management and panoramic images for an effective representation of cultural heritage information

The effective presentation of cultural heritage (CH) information requires the application of sophisticated techniques from different areas; namely, human computer interaction (HCI) and knowledge management. CH is no longer perceived as just a set of isolated objects, stored in museums or collections, without any links to the specific historical and social contexts of reference. Rather, objects have to be connected to additional information concerning those reference contexts. Since such information evolves over time, based on the research carried out by archaeologists, historical experts, and sociologists, the knowledge base needs to be updated to reflect new discoveries. Moreover, information should be presented at different levels of detail and should support an exploratory approach to information discovery by users. This paper presents a system addressing such requirements. The system uses 360 panoramic images to disseminate CH information retrieved from an open knowledge network, defined as a set of interrelated knowledge sources. In particular the paper explores the integration of panoramic images with ontologies in the context of an application in the area of archaeology (specifically, the Etruscan civilization). The paper also discusses the relevant technical issues for the design of the panoramic image interactive system. Those issues concern on one hand the possible organizations for the domain knowledge and on the other hand the architecture of the system and its interaction patterns. Such interactions are crucial in order to facilitate the development of applications that are easily customizable users and are characterized by a high level of interactivity