Immersive Photographic Environments as Interactive Repositories for Preservation, Data Collection and Dissemination of Cultural Assets

Abstract

The proposed work deals with the generative process of high-resolution 360° spherical photographs for the creation of an information container in the form of a virtual tour for the immersive fruition of the archaeological area of Abellinum. The development of the tool aims at the promotion and dissemination of the research results obtained so far within the project “Abellinum. Piano per la conoscenza, la tutela e la valorizzazione dell’antico centro irpino”, as well as a first expeditious approach for the digitisation of an area that is still difficult to access. This procedure, born out of a health emergency but also an economic-social one, acts as a suitable and valid alternative to more time-consuming methodologies, imposing a reflection on the resources to be deployed in relation to the purposes of the cultural offer. After describing the technical approach enacted, the study of the virtual tour interface design and the basic functions adopted in this first phase are investigated, hinting at possible implementations. What emerges is a progressive transdisciplinary enhancement between academic and professional skills for the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage, with the development of new tools and the transformation of existing ones on the basis of a technological process that is in its full rise.

Keywords

• virtual tour
• VR experience
• digital archaeological area
• 360° giga photo
• informational modelling
• abellinum