Web based Applications for the Promotion and Dissemination of Cultural Heritage Sites and Monuments

A. SARRIS / E. PERAKI / P. SEFEROU / L. KOKKINAKI / S. THEODOROPOULOS / G. PAPADAKIS / A. GIANAKIDIS / A. KIDONAKIS

(Laboratory of Geophysical-Satellite Remote Sensing & Archaeo-environment, IMS-FORTH Rethymnon, Greece)

In the last few years the Laboratory of Geophysical – Satellite Remote Sensing and Archaeo-environment of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies – FORTH has undertaken the compilation of a number of Web based applications for the promotion and dissemination of cultural heritage sites and monuments. The particular projects integrate a number of modules that make the corresponding web sites attractive not only to the tourists and the wider public, but also to researchers and academics that are using them for educational and research purposes. The web applications are accompanied by archaeological data bases, ethnographic data, dynamic GIS maps (containing information on both archaeological sites and natural resources), photo and video galleries, visualization panoramas and 3D reconstruction models, deviating considerably from the usual tourist or other static archaeological portals, since they can provide contextual information, geographical data and multimedia that can be used from a wide variety of users. The registered sites and monuments are not limited to the most significant places, but they include sites from both excavations and surveys, monuments that are either restored or even badly conserved and a number of information that can be used for the further study of the monuments. Emphasis has been given to the recording of the sites and not to the details of the monuments they contain, in an effort to capture the geographic distribution of sites and the way of perception of space in the past. Video interviews from specialists dealing with interdisciplinary research in the domain of archaeology in Crete provide their own perspectives regarding the theoretical and practical issues of their research. Furthermore, tourists are capable of arranging their own itinerary to visit sites of their own interest. The data can be used not only for cultural monuments dissemination purposes, but in many cases they can be also used for the better planning of restoration works and large scale construction plans. The above technologies suggest a norm that can be used to enhance the cultural domain portals. Examples will be drawn from projects such as Digital Crete: Cultural Mediterranean Itineraries, Byherinet: Byzantine Heritage Network, Mediterranean medieval places of pilgrimage network of the documentation, preservation and enhancement of monuments in the Euro-Mediterranean area (EGERIA), Emarket – path E4 for the prefecture of Rethymno, a.o.

Keywords: Web Applications, Cultural Heritage, GIS, 3D, databases.