4 research outputs found
Preliminary study of the point cloud obtained with a low cost structured light scanner of third lower human molars
No full textThis study presents a preliminary exploration of an objective, operator-independent method for acquiring and analyzing point cloud data from human lower third molars using low-cost equipment. Empha-sizing the need for affordability in the field, this research begins the development of a technical protocol for the validation and use of the structured light scanner EinScan-SP V1. Two human mandibular third molars from the crypt of Santa Maria Maggiore in Vercelli (Italy) are digitized. The teeth were scanned, and the resulting point clouds were processed using the Open3D library to extract and normalize digital indexes at different voxel levels. This work also introduces the concept of the Digital HyperUranium (IUD), a digital environment inspired by Platonic philosophy, to contextualize the mathematical processing of point clouds. The ultimate goal is to correlate digital indexes with biological profiles, enhancing the documentation and analysis of Cultural Heritage artifacts through affordable and automated digital acquisition methods
Development of a Scanning Protocol for Anthropological Remains: A Preliminary Study
No full textStructured-light scanning is a fast and efficient technique for the acquisition of 3D point clouds. However, the extensive and daily application of this class of scanners can be challenging because of the technical know-how necessary to validate the low-cost instrumentation. This challenge is worth accepting because of the large amount of data that can be collected accurately with the aid of specific technical protocols. This work is a preliminary study of the development of an acquisition protocol for anthropological remains performing tests in two opposite and extreme contexts: one characterised by a dark environment and one located in an open area and characterised by a very bright environment. This second context showed the influence of sunlight in the acquisition process, resulting in a colourless point cloud. It is a first step towards the development of a technical protocol for the acquisition of anthropological remains, based on the research of limits and problems associated with an instrument
Building a FLOSS Multi/Metaverse for Cultural Heritage: MAPOD4D
No full textAbstract
One of the most recent phenomena in the digital world is the metaverse "revolution". Along with Facebook®'s announcement of its rebranding into Meta®, the word metaverse has been a hot topic of discussion in the past months. Although several commercial applications are already implemented or in the developing stage, metaverses applied to cultural heritage are still an unknown territory. The digital evolution, especially in the gaming industry has pushed the virtual environment to a new level, while showing that also videogames can convey a sense of interest and realism through historically (more or less) accurate worlds (Huggett 2020, 2).
Most digital research on cultural heritage dissemination has focused on virtual reality, with all its known issues and limits, applying mainly to architectural reconstructions (Pujol Tost 2008: 106-7, Tan and Rahaman 2009: 146-9). Often these virtual realities are also passive, meaning that the interaction (where present) is limited to the 3D environment itself.
This paper provides an overview of MAPOD4D (Multi Analysis PrObe Drone 4D) as an example of a metaverse environment applied to different fields of cultural heritage.
MAPOD4D is an innovative platform and framework for developing a multiverse of metaverses with a specific application in the field of archaeology, anthropology, history, art, and cultural heritage in general.
The platform, the framework and the projects are developed with FLOSS software only, with the aim of maintaining cost sustainability, meaning that MAPOD4D is fully compliant to 4 laws of free libre software: the freedom to use the software for any purpose, the freedom to change the software to suit your needs, the freedom to share the software with your friends and neighbors, and the freedom to share the changes you make.
In addition to the ability to reproduce (infinite) metaverses, MAPOD4D can connect to external datasets such as databases, raster, and vector data, thus providing an environment where not only 3D models can be explored, but also tables, graphs and so on can be dynamically called. This means that the interaction within MAPOD4D is not limited to the virtual reality but they embrace the datasets from which the reality was created. At this stage of development, MAPOD4D has already been tested against real datasets, with the creation of instances based on existing anthropological and archaeological examples. MAPOD4D's applications range from pure research to dissemination and span across the different branches of cultural heritage.
Hereby we provide two applications of MAPOD4D:
As an anthropological example, we propose a simulation of an osteological and interactive laboratory with the 3D digitization of grave 14 from Lovere (BG, Italy). The bones were arranged in anatomical and stand positions; the pathological elements are shown with radiological supporting analysis, and we focused on elements and methods for age determination.
As for the application in archaeology, a context of the excavation of Casa Piccoli in Castelseprio (VA, Italy) was reconstructed through MAPOD4D. MAPOD was populated with data from the dig: archaeological layers were modelled as three-dimensional objects and inserted into the relevant metaverse. To these were added, at the current state of the work, measurements of magnetic anomalies and sounds. nFinally, the restitution of the stratigraphic sequence at the house-fort of Castelseprio is being planned
Masked behind Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae): Integrative taxonomy uncovers a new Cnesterodon species with broad ecological and biogeographic implications
No full textA new species of poeciliid, Cnesterodon pampeanus, (Cyprinodontiformes) is described from pampean streams, Argentina, based on integrative taxonomy. Generalised Discriminant Analysis of morphometric data allowed to discriminate the new species from its congeners, providing a reliable tool for an accurate identification of Cnesterodon species. Additionally, phylogenetic reconstructions of COI sequences revealed that the new species is grouped in a well-supported clade, validating the erection of a new Cnesterodon species. Up to the present, only Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Jenyns, 1842) has been recorded inhabiting freshwater environments south of La Plata River, being considered one of the most widespread fish species in the Pampa biome. However, the geographic distribution of sequenced specimens, previously missidentified as C. decemmaculatus, suggests that the newly described species, actually has the southernmost distribution, having remained masked behind C. decemmaculatus for years. The sympatric and syntopic presence of at least two species of Cnesterodon in the Pampas region implies that caution should be exercised when using C. decemmaculatus to study processes that shape their genetic structure, since differences among populations can be overestimated if both species are considered as a single one. Additionally, differences in the morphology of C. decemmaculatus previously attributed to the effect of pollutants may instead be interspecific variability.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
