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The learning possibilities using artifacts on display in today's museums are limited since they are removed from their original context, are too fragile to handle and are often damaged. In recent years museums have tried to overcome these limitations through the use of a variety of multimedia technologies including video and audio guides - with moderate success. This article outlines display and interaction technologies that could transform the museum experience from passive viewing to interactive learning.

For decades, dating of Roman Terra Sigillata pottery was assessed by visual inspection. Since the ornaments and indentations on the ceramic surface are characteristic for the manufacturing workshop in the Roman Empire, archeologists have used chronological catalogues to assign the sherds to its time period. This paper should underpin the application of image-based nondestructive testing (NDT) methods as a powerful instrument for obtaining data, which allows to extract predominant features for later classification. At first, an overview ist given to a variety of non-invasive inspection technique with particular focus on digital photography and infrared (IR) thermography. To receive enhanced spectral information, IR thermography is proposed complementary to visible light photography in an experimental study. Furthermore, different image processing techniques are applied to reveal their potential for enhanced feature extraction. Finally, the paper should give rise for the identification of the manufacturing period and the constructor's fingerprint of Terra Sigillata pottery at a later stage.

The magnitude of destruction on cultural heritage worldwide creates unprecedented challenges for its rehabilitation since conservation activities must be integrated into the context of larger rehabilitation efforts. It is argued that an authentic remodelling of the Eastern 38 m Buddha establishing the previous spatial configuration of the figure has to integrate the original fragments, combining scientific analysis of the figure's original physical remains with the careful interpretation of the existing documented sources. The authors propose a phased approach using a composite material matrix based on silt-clay close to the original cliff conglomerate embedding also the original fragments. The presented community-based rebuilding intervention executed by local artisans and artists conceptualizes on the evolution of the figurative meaning of the monument over time with the overall objective to use traditional building techniques to retain tangible and intangible values that maintain the authenticity and the specific significance and spirit of this place. The result has the potential to contribute to a necessary reconciliation process. It may serve as an exemplary case in World Heritage context able to bridge different cultural approaches to heritage among regional, national, and international bodies and stakeholders while respecting diverse values, meanings and the Buddha figure's original physical remains alike.

VAST is a primary event, enabling on the one hand the interaction between Archaeologists, Cultural Heritage professionals and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) scientists, and on the other hand the dissemination of innovative solutions for the preservation and conservation of the world heritage. VAST is a unique scenario for the demonstration of state of the art research in the areas of data acquisition and processing, metadata handling, and presentation, as well as for the communication and understanding of practitioners' experience in the field. The VAST platform boosts the establishment of 3D documentation and digital libraries as standard instruments for the integration of 3D digital assets within professional environments, fostering the scholarly research and the public engagement.

Die digitale Durchdringung aller Lebensbereiche erfasst auch das Kulturerbe. Digitale Technologien verändern die Art und Weise, wie Archäologen, Restauratoren und Denkmalpfleger arbeiten, indem sie neue Wege der Zusammenarbeit, Befunddokumentation und Restaurierungspraxis ermöglichen.

Focus of this year's forum is to present and showcase new developments within the overall process chain, from data acquisition, 3D documentation, analysis and synthesis, semantical modelling, data management, to the point of virtual museums or new forms of interactive presentations and 3D printing solutions. GCH 2014 therefore provides scientists, engineers and CH managers a possibility to discuss new ICT technologies applied to data modelling, reconstruction and processing, digital libraries, virtual museums, interactive environments and applications for CH, ontologies and semantic processing, management and archiving, standards and documentation, as well as its transfer into practice.

As the preservation of our cultural heritage is a task for society as a whole Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is taking its responsibility serious and has thus been continuously investing in heritage research. The various projects focused on innovative green conservation materials, new methodologies and analysis methods, socio-economic studies, new digitalization technologies and artificial intelligence incorporated into a tailormade ontological data platform. The broad scope of expertise and tools developed by Fraunhofer Institutes will be presented in this book.

Kulturelle und historische Informationen stehen heute für Interessierte auf vielerlei Weise zur Verfügung. Ein Problem hierbei ist jedoch, dass die Zugriffe auf diese Informationen weitestgehend durch Kulturinteressierte erfolgen, während Bevölkerungsgruppen, die initial nicht oder wenig an Kulturinformationen interessiert sind, durch genannte Kulturangebote kaum angesprochen werden. Eine Möglichkeit, um auch weniger Kulturinteressierte an Kulturinformationen heranzuführen, bieten ortsbasierte Spiele, welche die reale Welt bzw. Orte der realen Welt in die Welt der Spiele einfließen lassen. Hierbei ist es ebenso möglich, sowohl reale kulturelle als auch historische Informationen zu einem Ort in die Spiele einzubringen. Spieler eines solchen Spiels können somit einen neuen Anreiz erhalten, sich näher mit Kulturinformationen zu befassen, da diese ein Teil des Spiels sind und das unterhaltsame Medium "Spiel" initial den Anreiz zum Befassen mit Historie und Kulturinformationen wecken kann. Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über den möglichen Einsatz von ortsbasierten Spielen als ein Medium zum Zugriff auf Kulturinformationen. Hierzu erfolgt zuerst eine Erläuterung des allgemeinen Konzepts ortsbasierter Spiele und im Weiteren eine Beschreibung von drei exemplarischen ortsbasierten Spiele, welche die Informations- und Wissensvermittlung über das Medium Spiel zum Ziel haben. Um darzustellen, welche Möglichkeiten heute bereits durch handelsübliche Mobiltelefone angeboten werden, erfolgt im Anschluss eine Beschreibung von Funktionalitäten heutiger mobiler Endgeräte und möglicher Zugriffsmechanismen zur Nutzung raumbezogener Informationen innerhalb eines ortsbasierten Spiels. Basierend auf diesen Technologien und Mechanismen erfolgt die Vorstellung einer am Fraunhofer-Institut für Graphische Datenverarbeitung (IGD) entwickelten Plattform zur Entwicklung ortsbasierter Spiele, welche bereits grundlegende Elemente ortsbasierter Spiele beinhaltet und somit die Realisierung derartiger Spiele vereinfacht. Als erstes Spiel auf Grundlage dieser Plattform wurde "MobileChase" - die Schnitzeljagd auf Mobiltelefonen - entwickelt. Am Beispiel des Spiels wird aufgezeigt, wie die Funktionalitäten der Spielplattform genutzt werden können, um bereits mit einfachen Spielkonzepten den spielerischen Zugang zu Kulturinformationen zu ermöglichen.

The aim of this chapter is to provide a critical, historical overview of the evolution of public policy support for renewable energy technologies, with an emphasis on the last two decades, deployment support and solar and wind technologies. It shows that the economic justification for supporting the development and diffusion of renewable energy technologies has different rationales and that the type of support being provided is contingent upon the situation of the technology in the technology life cycle. It also shows that support for renewable energy technologies has several components, beyond the simplistic identification of “policy” with “instruments”. As important as the instruments are the existence of targets for these technologies and the stability of support. When it comes to instruments, although the focus in the literature has been on deployment support instruments, RD&D support has played a crucial role in improving the quality and reducing the costs of the currently mature technologies. Finally, this chapter illustrates how the success of deployment support instruments strongly depends on the way they are designed, and that trade-offs between different criteria used to assess such success are likely to occur when choosing a given design element over others.