eCulture: cultural content in the digital age

Abstract

Do virtual museums really provide added value to end-users, or do they just contribute to the abundance of images? Does the World Wide Web save endangered cultural heritage, or does it foster a society with less variety? How can information technology help to preserve the diversity of cultures in our fast-changing world? These are questions in the digital heritage landscape that are raised and answered. The overview is divided into three main sections: main issues and general guidelines; technological fundamentals and the main solutions; and applications and services, including a wide range of case studies. It gives an introduction to virtual museums issues and achievements, cataloguing, digitizing, publishing, and sustainable exploitation of cultural content, all exemplified by real-world case studies and applications.