**4.2 Front-end delivery**

#### *4.2.1 Communication of cultural heritage and cultural tourism*

The introduction of technologies for cultural heritage communication has revolutionised the concept of "museum experience" and "historic site experience", leading to the emergence of novel services powered by the **digitisation of cultural heritage artefacts**. In recent decades many GLAM organisations (i.e. Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) and historic sites have launched initiatives to improve representation, engage visitors with content in new, innovative ways and support cultural revitalisation. Technology is increasingly used to support novel forms of narration and improve the **historic interpretation** of cultural heritage, i.e. the ways visitors make meanings and connections to the past, in order to experience culture [57, 58]. Digital technologies have the power to transform history and cultural heritage into a living resource, also in the form of embodied Interactions [59]. Complex interconnected cyber-physical systems for experiencing cultural heritage can thus emerge [60].

#### *4.2.2 Hybrid onsite experiences*

Digital technologies have the potential to redefine the way visitors experience and connect with museums and cultural sites, as well as expand the on-site visit with prior and post experiences [61]. Most heritage sites are multidimensional and dense with meaning. Different cultural heritage contexts can coexist and serve as a backdrop for many overlapping services and experiences, suitable for diverse audiences. As the motivations, interests and degree of engagement of audiences vary, creating relevant cultural heritage experiences that engage and resonate with each visitor represents a challenge for the sector. The early "electronic" tour guide model was based on predefined itineraries, complemented by the synchronised delivery of textual and/or multimedia content that was curated by museum experts.

#### *Novel Ways of Discovering, Capturing and Experiencing Cultural Heritage: A Review… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99170*

The evolution of Ubiquitous Computing technologies enabled the introduction of context-aware and location-aware features that offer the user increased degrees of freedom (e.g. through the combined use of mobile phones and RFID technologies). Traditional linear narratives (e.g. in the form of typical guided tours) are thus replaced by **visitor-directed narratives**, in which the visitor is in control of the content they consume [62]. The former involved mainly applications that mimic the purposes and experience of a **traditional guided tour** (e.g. mobile tour guides and museum websites), while the latter is facilitated by technologies that help create interactive and immersive experiences [63, 64]. The challenge is to not merely communicate scientific information, but to develop audience-centric experiences that achieve a **narrative and emotional engagement** of the audience [65, 66]. Better cultural accessibility and inclusion has the potential to enhance citizens' **well-being** [67].

Digital storytelling represents an effective way to deliver content in cultural heritage [68], achieve emotional resonance and create human connection. Immersive experiences can put the visitor in control of the content and make them feel as if they are a part of the exhibit or program [63, 64]. The combination of advanced immersive technologies with storytelling techniques, can help create **emotive digital experiences** that bring cultural heritage sites and events alive [69].

For example, the GIFT project developed a portfolio of free, open-source tools and methods that museums can use to enrich the physical experiences of their visitors, such as a Mobile Game to encourage collaborative storytelling within the museum [70]. The EMOTIVE project developed immersive storylines using a range of technologies including virtual and augmented reality and mobile phone apps, to create more 'emotive' cultural site visits [69].

**Audio augmented environments**, featuring concepts like sonic narratives, soundscapes and binaural spatialisation have also been explored in the cultural heritage context [71].

Digital technologies can help enrich a physical visit to a cultural site or a museum, with rich complementary content tailored to the needs of the visitor. Heritage sites can be enriched by scanning and overlaying virtual annotations on top of these places. Devices can be directed at the point of interest, and 2D/3D e.g. texts, sounds, icons, videos are added to the users' view. These applications provide visitors with immediate cultural location-based information regarding specific points of interest [72], they allow them to explore personal cultural locations and points of interest [73] and give them opportunities to discover new or unknown knowledge [74]. Every cultural site has a specific "wow-factor" that has to be captured and transported via digital technology and digital communication channels. From the provider view, new business models and opportunities can be identified and initiated using novel digitisation technologies [75], which can help increase the competitiveness of the cultural site [76] with significant spillover effects on the local economy. Recent research efforts go beyond visual, sound, or narrative enhancements, to provide visitors with multisensory stimulations [77].

For people with **disabilities**, digital innovations, such as sign language video avatars, tactile artwork reliefs, barrier-free apps for museum visits, etc., can help them overcome access barriers to cultural spaces [78].

#### *4.2.3 Online experiences—virtual museums*

The online presence of museums is changing, with traditional museum websites evolving into **online "walk-through" museums,** featuring dynamic exhibitions and versatile multimedia explorations of cultural heritage [79]. Advances in digitisation technologies provide the means for new forms of engagement with

museum-held heritage via 3D multimedia-rich museum websites, online "walkthrough" museum explorations [80], virtual museum exhibitions [81], virtual environment system installed within a real museum [82], online community platforms [83, 84], etc. This has also led to novel context-aware representations of cultural heritage, produced from merging 3D models of artefacts, like in the case of the MUVI - Virtual Museum of Daily Life [85].

Ambient intelligence technologies (AmI) provide the means for personalizing content and user interfaces (UIs) to each individual user [86].

Virtual museums have also emerged. The term **virtual museum** describes "a collection of digitally recorded images, sound files, text documents, and other data of historical, scientific, or cultural interest that are accessed through electronic media" [87]. Unlike a traditional museum, a virtual museum does not house actual objects. Instead, it channels digitised representations of artefacts from one or several cultural institutions (e.g. Google Cultural Institute). A virtual museum can also be set up, in order to provide access to cultural sites that are otherwise invisible to the general public and to cultural artefacts that no longer exist or are impossible to view physically [88–94].

For example, the "Underwater Malta", virtual museum for submerged cultural heritage, provides access to numerous inaccessible underwater archaeological sites [95]. This is facilitated by recent advances in underwater imaging and processing software and the development of 3D photogrammetry of submerged sites. The GRAVITATE project developed software tools to allow archaeologists and curators to reconstruct shattered or broken cultural objects and to identify and re-unify parts of a cultural object that has been separated across collections [96]. Similarly, the Time Machine project [25] combines digitised archives from museums and libraries, with Artificial Intelligence and Big Data mining, to offer richer interpretations of our past. The project developed a 4D (3D plus time) engine which 'recreates' past cities, as digital twins of our cities ('Mirror Worlds') that is accessible from mobile phones or through specific Augmented Reality interfaces. 3D models can "**time-travel**" users to historical places, cities or buildings in a specific historic period to deliver a feeling of how daily life was [97, 98]. While in the past, 3D visualisation content was merely used to digitally visualise historic artefacts (e.g. replace damaged or missing physical artefacts), presently realistic **virtual heritage environments** can be developed to contain 3D models of heritage object, thus visualising three-dimensional contexts as well, in order to offer a much richer user experience. For example, the INCEPTION project revolved around the development of heritage"spaces"(complex architectures and sites) and semantic enrichment for creating 3d Models to cater for multiple purposes, in line with the specific needs and level of knowledge of the end-users [99].

In the last two years the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted the daily routine of museums and brought the global tourism industry to a standstill prompted the adoption of innovative approaches building on digital instruments, such as **virtual tours** [100, 101] that build on geo-referenced sequences of panoramic images and three-dimensional models of the actual site [102]. According to Nemtinov et al. [103] "Virtual trips to memorable places allow experiencing history in an interactive form; they attract the audience and promote interest in museums and, accordingly, strengthen their cultural and educational functions".

#### *4.2.4 Onlife cultural experiences*

Advances in digital technologies are helping connect a person's cultural heritage experiences to their "daily" life, i.e. they provide the means to enhance other experiences outside the museum site, based on experiences at the museum site [61].

*Novel Ways of Discovering, Capturing and Experiencing Cultural Heritage: A Review… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99170*

Overall, immersive experiences for cultural heritage can take shape in a variety of forms, including the use of augmented reality, virtual reality, serious games and gamification, embodied interaction etc. Central ls the role of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality which allow for new ways of experiencing cultural heritage. Augmented reality can overlay additional information onto existing artefacts, while virtual reality facilitates fully immersive virtual explorations [104]. Virtual Reality head-mounted displays (HMD) provide a first-person stereoscopic view of the environment and the ability to physically change the looking direction with head rotations. Mixed reality and semi-immersive VR applications combine the real and virtual environments [26]. Audio augmented environments, featuring concepts like sonic narratives, soundscapes and binaural spatialisation are also being explored in the cultural heritage context [71].

#### *4.2.5 Mobile applications*

Central to this shift is the rise of mobile communications and the rapid uptake of smartphone technology. Users today are increasingly connected to the world of digital information while "on the go" via mobile devices. GSMA [105] estimates that the number of unique mobile subscribers will reach 5.8 billion by 2025, equivalent to 70% of the world's population. Τhe European Travel Commission (ETC) stressing that ownership of mobile devices and mobile online access is high and increasing, reached the conclusion that in the future those travelling within and to Europe will be smartphone-equipped and will have both the technological capability and the online access to engage with online content that will make their travel and experiences richer and smoother. Smartphones, tablets and other mobile and handheld technologies are increasingly playing a central role in touristic experience mediation [106] and as a travel tool during all stages of tourism consumption [84]. Wang et al. [106] noted that "the instant information support of smartphones enables tourists to more effectively solve problems, share experiences, and "store"memories". Dickinson et al. [84] concluded that smartphones are enhancing temporal and spatial awareness, i.e. are evolving society's contemporary understandings of time and relationships with place and things in significant ways for travel by (a) enhancing the temporal alignment between people, the things they need, destinations and attractions, and activity options and (b) providing tourists with enhanced spatial tools and awareness (place-related information and content), ultimately leading to knowledge-rich visitors.

## **5. Conclusions and way forward**

The present chapter discussed the emerging paradigm of cultural heritage experience, as shaped by the continuous advances in information technologies. Cultural heritage experiences can benefit greatly from the current trend towards digitalisation, systematisation and accessibility of digital cultural resources. Advancements in technology are creating new opportunities to digitise cultural heritage for preservation, conservation, restoration, research, as well as for broader online access and re-use by citizens and various sectors, such as tourism. The amount of digitised cultural material is growing very rapidly, also thanks to numerous initiatives for the digitisation of cultural heritage content belonging to museums, libraries, archives etc. The experience of cultural heritage is constantly evolving and is expected to continue to develop in complexity and sophistication, as new opportunities for the technological representation and communication of culture emerge and the types of transaction and encounter with tangible and intangible cultural heritage increase.

The experience of cultural heritage will continue to develop in complexity [9]. The shift towards more sophisticated technology-enhanced cultural heritage experiences is facilitated by the growing digitisation of cultural heritage, continuous innovations in 2D/3D digital scanning, in image enhancement and 3D reproduction, and in immersion technologies, the emergence of advanced equipment (such as head-mounted displays (HMD), the affordances of ubiquitous computing and mobile applications and novel easy-to-use authoring tools. Advanced digitisation, and digital preservation and accessibility have been instrumental in transforming people's experience of cultural heritage assets, relics, and monuments, as well as of intangible heritage. The ViMM project concluded that harnessing additional technologies will have increasing relevance for museums and cultural heritage institutions, including: artificial intelligence; computer vision; deep learning/machine learning; and adaptive cognitive methods [107].

Given the strong economic spill over effect of cultural heritage, interest in advancing the communication of cultural heritage goes beyond the traditional players of the sector: GLAM organisations (i.e. Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), cultural and historic sites etc.

Regions and local communities increasingly pursue the valorisation of their local heritage, leveraging what makes their societies unique, to promote their cultural identity and boost economic growth. Communicating cultural heritage to visitors in understandable and engaging ways is challenging, yet it represents an increasingly important aspect of tourism destination marketing. Presently, the relationship between tourism and culture is transformed by the affordances of new technologies. Advanced digital technologies can accommodate the provision of value-added learning experiences to visitors to increase the attractiveness of heritage sites.

Developing cultural heritage experiences is a **complex socio-technical, multidisciplinary exercise** that spans several distinct areas: **Back-office** capabilities, in terms of accessible, quality digital cultural content, need to be in place, to subsequently be able to **design, develop and provide** cultural heritage experiences, and to **align** these with the requirements and expectations of the intended users.

Required technical capabilities thus range from back-office infrastructures for digitisation, standardisation, storage and retrieval, computing, connectivity, instrumentation and online accessibility of cultural materia, to authoring, service development and collaboration tools, to digital solutions for the technology-enabled experiencing of cultural events, arts and heritage and the creation of new applications on new devices, for different audiences and for different purposes.

Offerings should be expert-driven and **user-oriented** at the same time. Meeting the need for customised cultural heritage communication offerings implies continuously developing cultural heritage experience services and new processes of value creation. This implies a need for rapid development, and continuous adaptation and enrichment of the offerings. On the backend side, this translates into tailored content creation and easy content reuse, re-purposing and improvement, which in turn call for access to sources of relevant digital content (Cultural Heritage repositories) and domain expertise, besides technical skills and authoring environment capabilities. As value shifts to visitor experiences, cultural heritage experience development essentially should be regarded as a **co-creation** exercise, in which cultural heritage experience services are shaped and continuously adapted through the interactions between consumers and service providers [108].

Of particular importance is to increase awareness and acceptance of the "Digital Turn" within the cultural heritage community. Increasingly cultural institutions will have to incorporate technology solutions within their day-to-day responsibilities. Skills requirements and organisational aspects also need to be considered.

*Novel Ways of Discovering, Capturing and Experiencing Cultural Heritage: A Review… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99170*
