B. Benedetti - benedetti@sns.it

1. ICT Systems for the communication, preservation, management and exploitation of Cultural Heritage. The involvement of Scuola Normale Superiore - Consorzio FORMA of Pisa (Italy) in some running experiences within EU Projects and a discussion on New Perspectives toward the VII Framework Program Regional Meeting of the SEEDI – Sofia, 12 June 2006 B. Benedetti - benedetti@sns.it M. E. Masci - e.masci@sns.it

2. The Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa - Italy The SNS was founded by Napoleon in 1810 as a branch of the École Normale Supérieure de Paris. It is a public University classified as “Institute of Excellence” for high education and research. The academic teaching subjects and the various research laboratories are grouped into two main partitions: the Class of Arts and the Class of Sciences. SNS also promotes masters and post-graduate courses on Cultural Heritage management and exploitation and on ICT design for Cultural Resources. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

3. The Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa - Italy In the field of ICT applied to Cultural Heritage, SNS started its researches in 1978, under the direction of Prof. Paola Barocchi, when the partnership with The Harvard University Centre for Italian Renaissance Studies, the University of Siena Art History Department and the CNUCE Department of CNR (National Council for the Research) originated the "First International Conference on Automatic Processing of Art-History Data and Documents". Following collaborations with Accademia della Crusca and J. Paul Getty Trust, SNS produced a number of researches in the lexicographical field on Automatic Processing of Art-History Data and Documents. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

4. SNS – Recent experiences: EU Projects Recently the SNS research groups carried out new collaborations with Museums, Superintendences, Archives, Libraries and other cultural institutions in Italy and abroad, using ICT for the indexing, cataloguing, management and communication of linguistic, lexical and iconographical data. Amongst the already carried out EU Projects we can mention: META-E – The Metadata Engine Project 5th Framework, IST Programme, Area "Digital Heritage and Cultural Content“. Start date: September 2000 End date: September 2003 Consortium: 14 partners from 7 European Countries and from US http://meta-e.aib.uni-linz.ac.at/ B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

5. SNS – Recent experiences: EU Projects CHANCE – Cultural Heritage Access through Networked serviCes for Edutainment market TEN-Telecom Programme. Start date: February 2001 End date: July 2002 Consortium: 11 partners from 5 European Countries. I-MASS - Information Management and interoperability of content for distributed Systems of high volume data repositories through multi agent Systems 5th Framework, IST Programme, Action line: “Information management methods”. Start date: January 2001 End date: October 2003 Consortium: 11 partners from 4 European Countries. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

6. SNS – Recent experiences: National Projects Amongst the already carried out National Projects we can mention: - website: 1999 - G. Vasari, Le Vite http://biblio.cribecu.sns.it/vasari/ - website:1999 - The Leaning tower of Pisa: 1173–2000 http://torre.duomo.pisa.it/ - website:2000 - Corpus informatico Belloriano http://biblio.signum.sns.it/bellori/ - website:2001 - Monumenta Rariora http://moratesti.cribecu.sns.it/ B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

7. The Consorzio FORMA The FORMA Consortium was founded in 1999 in order to develop applied research studies aimed at the development of new methodologies for the management, preservation and communication of Cultural Heritage. The Consortium joins 8 members: http://forma.sns.it • Associazione Civita • Associazione Memofonte • Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio - CISA • Electa - Divisione Beni Culturali • Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento - INSR • Istituto di Studi e Analisi Economica – ISAE • Museo Nazionale del Cinema e della Fotografia di Torino • Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa - SNS B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

8. SNS – FORMA strategy for developing and exploiting scientific research • FORMA has its head office inside the Scuola Normale and the research staff is composed by researchers involved in projects both of the FORMA Consortium and of the Scuola Normale. • During the last years, Scuola Normale and Consorzio FORMA improved their experience in research projects for the digital treatment of texts and images, and for the Cultural Heritage communication through the web and through other media. • As the aim of FORMA and SNS is the development of Research activities and of high level Education and training, they are promoting and carrying out mainly scientific research projects in collaboration with other research institutions. • A good strategy for the scientific and technical improvement of those research project and for their exploitation is: • the FORMA and SNS involvement in targeted EU Projects • the organisation of high level Masters and training Courses B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

9. SNS – FORMA strategy for developing and exploiting scientific research 1 – planning and development of scientific research projects collaboration with other Institutions development and exploitation exploitation 2 – SNS and FORMA involvement in targeted EU Projects 3 – SNS and FORMA organisation of Masters and training Courses exploitation development exploitation exploitation re-use of contents and dissemination of research results education and training collaboration with other Institutions and companies re-use of contents visibility of research results B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

10. SNS – FORMA Methodological Approach • Two methodological schemes of research on digital libraries to define a common platform within a broad perspective approach (of course with interconnected areas and crossing items): • a. Starting from the structured setting of the objects towards the single objects: • a library, an archive, a museum exhibition/repository of objects (real objects, books, manuscripts, photos, documents, virtual objects...), also in relationship to the stored documents on the objects. • This approach concerns mainly a defined number of objects to be considered as a structured ensemble, generally in progress, in some cases to be related to other documents and to other similar objects in analogous settings. • b. Starting from the single CH object or from structured objects (in their context) towards their structured setting (physical, environmental, cultural, historical): • an object with references to other related objects, to related textual and visual documents. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

11. SNS – FORMA Methodological Approach • Also a collection or a building together with its historical content (an integrated unity of container-content), has to be considered as a complex object in itself. In this case an CH object has to be considered, analysed and reconstructed in at least three different interrelated and consistent perspectives: • The real contemporary object (and its environment) • The historical physical evolution of the object (and its environment) • The cultural evolution of the object (and its environment) • The main structural difference between a museum and a library/archive is that the general meaning of a museum can be changed changing the sequence, the choice or the exhibition settings of an object and its relationships to the other objects. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

12. SNS – FORMA Methodological Approach On the contrary, a collection can keep its historical and original meaning, keeping the exhibition setting of the objects according to the original idea of the author or authors. Within this integrated scientific approach to implement the data gathered from heterogeneous sources, which are different for the lexicon and the language, a coherent and scientifically based metadata system seems to be a basic tool to achieve the critical knowledge of an object to be organised in a digital library through visual and textual data bases. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

13. SNS – FORMA Methodological Approach • A CH object can be defined and critically known through the approach to these aspects: • information of its present physical state • information of its historical physical states (degrade, modifications, additions) • historical information and information on its cultural evolution • In the case of object/collection, also the information on the position of the object within the collection related to the other objects has to be considered, being a consistent element of critical knowledge of the object. • as a parallel, also the developing environmental context of a monument has to be considered, being a consistent inner element of it. • Perception and representation of the object, that is its perception as a historical and cultural development. This aspect can be related and integrated to the others aspects, but also keeps an autonomous approach and development. That is, the object through the perception of the visitors in different times and from different cultural perspectives. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

14. SNS – FORMA Methodological Approach Thereafter the research on a CH object can concern only two real aspects: the real object “here and now” (also through the lens of present representations) and its cultural perception-representations recorded by the real extant textual and visual documents through the ages. The other aspects needed to perform its critical knowledge are mental or virtual, and can be historically reconstructed. Of course, every scholar and researcher can focus more on a particular aspect in planning and carrying out his research, even concentrating on only one of them. In this methodological framework on digital libraries development, there can be a wider platform where to debate the relationship between innovative technologies and scientific research, where innovation has not only to do with technology. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

15. SNS – FORMA. Some ongoing scientific Research Projects Lucca and its Lands http://luccapro.sns.it/ The project started in 1999. It aims at promoting and communicating the cultural patrimony and the landscape of the Region of Lucca (Tuscany, Italy) through a web portal. The portal joins two interrelated sub-portals: the first one offers touristic information and the second one detailed cultural information. Both are connected to a map of the region. An experimentation for distributing contents also through GSM / MMS is successfully ongoing. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

16. SNS – FORMA. Some ongoing scientific Research Projects The ‘Fortuna visiva’ of Pompeii http://pompei.sns.it/ The main object of the research (started in 2002 – ongoing) is the examination of the perceptions and representations of Pompeii, in its several shapes and variations in space and time, in order to obtain an overall view, based on an historical and critical synthesis. An on-line Digital Archive joins visual and written documents (from the discovery of Pompeii in 1748 to the end of the XIXth century). The Archive is connected to a Digital Library and to a GIS. The contents of this project have been provided as a case study to the EU BRICKS Project and presently a specific BRICKS interface for the ‘Fortuna visiva’ is under development. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

17. SNS – FORMA. Some ongoing scientific Research Projects The travel-guides of Rome Archaeological Itineraries of the Travellers before the Grand Tour This project started in 2005 and presently the data-entry system has been realised and tested. At the moment we are implementing the first contents. The research aims at identifying the itineraries and the monuments visited by travellers and connoisseurs in the transition phase from the jubilees’ travel to the antiquarian travel. By focusing the analysis on the texts from XVI and XVII centuries, the research intends to examine the slow change in taste from Rome conceived as sacred city, to Rome intended as the centre of antiquity. The research results will be edited in a web site. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

18. SNS – FORMA. Some ongoing scientific Research Projects The Portal of Italian Culture – http://www.culturaitalia.it/ In September 2004, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC) committed to SNS the scientific and technical project for the Italian Portal of Culture. It will provide unique and integrated accessto digital contents created both by MiBAC and its central and local departments, by public or private Institutions (Museums, Libraries, Archives, Universities, etc.) and by other providers, as regional and local portals. The project has been delivered in 2005, as well as a prototype realised by SNS in order to verify and test the project’s issues. At the moment SNS is following the fulfilment of the Portal as consultant of MiBAC. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

19. The involvement of SNS – FORMA in EU Projects FORMA is directly involved as Partner in the following EU projects: HELP - http://www.munchundberlin.org/ DELOS - http://www.delos.info/ BRICKS - http://www.brickscommunity.org/ CALLAS - (starting project) B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

20. The involvement of SNS – FORMA in EU Projects Within a cooperation agreement with MiBAC, the research staff of SNS – FORMA, is also involved as a scientific consultant Institution, in some tasks of the following EU projects: MINERVA - http://www.minervaeurope.org/ MICHAEL - http://www.michael-culture.org/ B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

21. The involvement of SNS – FORMA in ongoing EU Projects HELP Seeing a World of Art by Visual Impaired People http://www.munchundberlin.org/ 5th Framework, Culture 2000 Start date: 2002 End date: 2003 Consortium: 4 partners from 3 European Countries DELOS Network of Excellence for Digital Libraries http://www.delos.info/ 6th Framework, IST Programme Start date: January 2004 End date: December 2007 Consortium: 55 members B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

22. The involvement of SNS – FORMA in ongoing EU Projects BRICKS Building Resources for Integrated Cultural Knowledge Services http://www.brickscommunity.org/ 6th Framework, IST Programme Start date: January 2004 End date: June 2007 Consortium: 24 partners from 9 European Countries CALLAS Co-operative Augmented Living Laboratory for Art and Scenography 6th Framework, IST Programme Starting Project – duration 36 Months Consortium: 19 partners from 9 European Countries B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

23. Case Studies: BRICKS and CALLAS • Now we are going to illustrate, as case studies, two EU Projects in which SNS • and FORMA are involved as partners: • The BRICKS Project and the integration of the ‘Fortuna Visiva of Pompeii’ contents • 2) The CALLAS Project: a starting EU Project B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

24. The BRICKS Project and the integration of the ‘Fortuna Visiva of Pompeii’ contents

25. ProjectAcronym: BRICKS - Building Resources for Integrated Cultural Knowledge Services Project number:507457 Projectinstrument: Integrated Project of 6th Framework Programme of European Community Thematicarea: Digital Libraries Services Action Line:Technology. Enhanced Learning and Access to Cultural Heritage Consortium: 24 Organisations from 9 Countries Duration: 42 months (January 2004 – June 2007) Budget: 12,2 Mega Euro

26. BRICKS is an Integrated Project of the 6th Framework Program of the European Commission, involving 24 partners selected amongst Institutions devoted to the Cultural Heritage preservation, Universities and Research Institutes, Information Technologies Enterprises. BRICKS aims at building a management structure and a technological platform focused on the creation of a Digital Library of the European Memory, to be used and enlarged by cultural users, such as museums, libraries, archives, research institutions, etc. http://www.brickscommunity.org/

27. The core of the project is the building of a distributed infrastructure for cultural resources, into a P2P network, within which each database, legacy system or repository could be physically stored in a BNode (BRICKS node) by the single promoting Institution and, at the same time, could support queries as in a whole.

28. The retrieval of cultural resources is based on the descriptive metadata harvesting, using the codification in XML of documents and the metadata porting with OAI-PMH; besides the adoption of metadata codified by Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, the BRICKS retrieval system can identify other metadata sets and the related ontology. Moreover, the BRICKS system provides some web services, distributed on single nodes of the net, but available by each partner of the DL, as the automatic indexing, the protection with Digital Rights Management System, and tools for the editing of new collections and of annotations on the existing resources.

29. For the demonstrator shown in the first review of the Project (march 2005) metadata related to the contents of the ‘Fortuna visiva of Pompeii’ have been transposed in XML and mapped in DC standard, together with other metadata and contents from different repositories. Then metadata have been harvested throug OAI-PMH into the BRICKS System.

30. Pompeii’s GIS have been transposed into web services and connected with the contents pertaining to the database using BRICKS services at the level of the interface: the architecture has been integrated joining a Map Server, which is compatible with OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standard. The integration of contents from BNode and Map Server will be implemented at the Application level.

31. At the moment the ‘Fortuna Visiva of Pompeii’ application for BRICKS is under development, using BRICKS platform and services. • BRICKS Fortuna visiva of Pompeii Application will allow users: • to find the resources provided via OAI-PMH • to see metadata and contents (iconographic, bibliographic, unedited sources and the Pompeii GIS) • to enrich those contents using annotations

32. Co-operative Augmented Living Laboratory for Artand Scenography

33. CALLAS Vision • CALLAS aims to define and develop a multimodal architectureincluding emotional aspects, targeted to new media applications • CALLAS aims to be the creative laboratory for experimenting new concepts for a more participative and affective-enriched user interaction in new media applications ...as Maria Callas provided a more emotional approach to her music, the CALLAS project will introduce emotional and natural interaction into New Media applications ...

34. CALLAS Objectives • To develop a set of software components(the CALLAS Shelf), with input modalities (speech, sound, non-verbal behaviour and basic physical interaction) and output modalities (speech, non-verbal behaviour, affective ECA, music, haptics) • To propose a Software Engineering Framework (the CALLAS Framework), based on the customised integration of the above components into an architecture with authoring of application-specific control, supporting rapid prototyping and development

35. CALLAS Showcases • The validation of the CALLAS approach requires prototypes to be developed in several relevant application areas. The CALLAS Showcases cover representative classes of applications in the field of Art and Entertainment: • Augmented Reality for Art, Entertainment, and Digital Theatre • Interactive Installations for Public Spaces • Next-Generation Interactive Television

36. Digital theatre • This showcase will demonstrate how the real time detection of the affective state of the people involved in a live performance (directors, actors, audience) can improve the “naturalness” of the experience, paving the way for unexplored ways of broader and more pervasive participation of the users (audience). • It will also provide innovative natural immersive interfaces and devices for creating or living interactive performing art works within multidimensional (virtual, augmented, mixed) realities

37. Digital installation

38. Digital installation (ii)

39. Public Places • Places change radically during events during which visitors experience something out of the ordinary. Also events are distributed in a large area over a prolonged period of time • Emotional states of visitors can be used to create new types of rich interaction that better support visitor decision-making

40. Public Places

41. Interactive TV • There is an opportunity to investigate how conversational agents can be connected to programme content: • Reacting to the unfolding and content of the programme itself (assuming a type of programme supporting appropriate metadata) • Being an interactive part of the programme, for instance by acting as presenters over several video streams (news, weather)

42. Interactive TV

43. Toward the 7th Framework Programme 2007 – 2013 'Building the ERA of knowledge for growth’ The core idea is a research 'knowledge triangle’:educationinnovation Cooperation: More than half the budget will support cooperation between universities, industry, research centres and public authorities Ideas: A European Research Council (ERC) will be set up to stimulate creativity and excellence by funding basic or 'frontier' research. People: Support to training, mobility and careers development through reinforced 'Marie Curie actions' Capacieties: Research and innovation capacity is to be enhanced by coordinating infrastructures and by supporting regional research-driven clusters, SMEs, a closer relationship between science and society, and the development of international cooperation. B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it

44. Toward the 7th Framework Programme 2007 – 2013 'Building the ERA of knowledge for growth’ Although the huge budget for FP7, 72726 million EUR, according to CE officers there will not be a specific objective related to cultural heritage preservation, nor to learning or digitalizing. Projects will be supposed to develop multifunction tools and applications, which will be tested and used in different research areas, from e-health to e-government, Initiatives on Cultural Heritage could be developed within such projects, as testbeds or applications. End of Presentation Thank you for your kind attention! B. Benedetti benedetti@sns.it M.E. Masci e.masci@sns.it