Session
CALL for PAPERS

Chair: Claudiu SILVESTRU, Cultural Heritage Integration Lab, Austria

Description of the session: The wide access to “smart” mobile devices as well as the easiness of mobile application distribution through several webstores have led to an inflation of apps. A major factor for the high popularity is the permanent availability and intuitive use through user owned – i.e. already well known – handheld devices of everyday life.
From gaming to text editing and training to navigation, mobile applications are common in all imaginable fields – including building and urban history and addressing often at the same time professionals and the general public. Apps are employed in presentation and interpretation strategies by e.g. museums as well as in scientific research like urban archaeology and building survey.
The rapid development in the field of apps leads to several issues to be addressed especially when using them for information, education and research purposes, such as:

  • Origin of data and information: Especially considering the openness of app stores and the inflation of apps its becoming increasingly difficult to sort out solid third party apps for infotainment.
  • Copyright and pricing: Pricing models as well as copyright issues due to the light version / full version differences affect research projects especially if the target is to use free – or even open source – software only.
  • Funding, retail and update:Public funding generally requires not for profit projects which don’t generate additional income. Apps– and especially scientifically validated research, database or information software – need to be updated periodically in order to meet the requirements of new “smart” mobile devices as well as to implement new research findings.

This session’s aim is to discuss the challenges and promises of the current and future development and implementation of mobile apps in urban archaeology, building survey and urban history research.

Target Group

  • Researchers
  • Software developers
  • Heritage interpretation experts
  • Managers of heritage sites

Specifics: We invite papers that contribute with insightful and controversial aspects regarding the employment of mobile apps, including but not limited to:

  • innovative mobile apps for survey and documentation purposes,
  • mobile apps as a means to public information and awareness,
  • linking infotainment apps to scientific databases,
  • funding and retail strategies for the development of scientific apps.

Submit your abstract via online form!