Thirty Years of Digital Technologies in the Field of Cultural Heritage

Introduction

With the rapid rise of digital technologies, cultural heritage studies have not remained a spectator to these developments, and the use of digital technologies in the protection, documentation and exhibition of cultural heritage has become widespread. Digital technologies promoted innovation and proposed unprecedented opportunities to the sectors. Among these, digital transformation has reflections in the cultural heritage studies. There are many benefits of the digitization and AI such as collection of large scale of digital shared knowledge, rapid access of data, cost-effectiveness according to benefit and loss assessment in a long term and rapid identification of cultural heritage and risks.

Developing or adjusting geographic information system (GIS) tools for analysis of data and monitoring of affected areas is crucial for more efficient and cost-effective urban planning in the historical texture. Such digital infrastructure can help ensure participatory, accountable and transparent governance mechanisms in recovery and reconstruction. GIS will give opportunity to present the mapping data, current situation and damage level of the immovable cultural properties after the damage assessment studies and also the unique architectural elements or movable cultural properties found in the removal works of culture debris with the right locations on the maps, what is more, about the number of the structures studied on. Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be used as a digital representation of physical and functional characteristic of a facility. Also, photogrammetric range imaging techniques such as Structure from motion (SFM) estimate three dimensional structures from two-dimensional image sequences coupled with local motion signals.

A range of changes are proposed in standards and regulatory policies to ensure that cultural properties are resilient to earthquakes and other disasters. In long term, making a visual documentation of immovable cultural assets, with the earthquake-prone provinces being of top priority, and keep their digital data available and keeping inter-institutional digital data sharing up-to-date and available for sharing, in this regard is essential. The focus must be on increasing the digitalization level of these studies and benefitting from the latest digital solutions. Dynamic measurements with non-invasive techniques can be used to obtain relevant information.

Intelligent systems based on artificial intelligence and machine learning methods that can continuously improve themselves should be supported. These systems facilitate the identification of visual funds in collections with object recognition features in archaeological areas. With the ability to integrate the works carried out in the field under the ability to collect data from the field with automatic mapping into the system instantly with their locations, it enables the on-site recording of the finds made especially in the excavation areas.¹

Digitalization is important for preventing the deterioration of heritage data that need to be protected by transferring them to digital media, increasing access to these materials, and thus for sustainable documentation and presentation (Halaç and Öğülmüş, 2021, 524). With an application that will be developed to share these digital data, it is thought that restitution data on cultural assets that have been demolished during on-site inspection or excursion by researchers or visitors can be obtained. Three-dimensional modelling of the restitution of the assets and even animations showing the old life can be prepared and presented together with historical information. In order to prevent damage to our social memory and to achieve the highest level of social benefit, open access to resources that aim to protect cultural heritage should be supported and encouraged.