Dissemination Strategies for Cultural Heritage: The Case of the Tomb of Zechariah in Jerusalem, Israel

Abstract

This paper reports the research carried out using Structure from Motion survey techniques, which were developed on the basis of previous surveys and their subsequent representation through two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) drawings of the tomb, comparing them with drawings and watercolors by several painters of the past. This survey technique enables the reconstruction of three-dimensional models through photographs. The aim of this work is to define a procedural process which allows accurate and reliable three-dimensional reconstructions to be performed for the acquisition of knowledge and the dissemination of cultural heritage, taking advantage of representation and visualization techniques that have been developed in the last decade and that are based on historical references. The variety of digital products which can be produced (video games, 3D models, prints, websites, and augmented reality applications) allows a different approach to the representation to be taken, thereby re-evaluating limits, aims, and expressive potential. The virtual representative systems, enriched with cultural content, scientific information, and data, enhance the participation and awareness of knowledge of the final users of the products and are able to increase the interaction between the user and the information.