Multimodal virtual navigation of a Cultural Heritage site: the medieval ceiling of Steri in Palermo

Abstract

The advance of information technology has enabled in recent years new fruition scenarios for cultural heritage sites. Multidisciplinary approaches integrate survey techniques with multimodal interfaces to allow enhanced fruition for larger group of users. In this paper we propose a multimodal interface to a virtual representation of a medieval ceiling, built in the XIV century, which covers the “Sala Magna” of Steri, the historical headquarters of the University of Palermo, in Italy. This research deals with the definition of a process for the integration of surveying techniques, modelling processes and communication technologies for the documentation of such artifacts. This is a two-stage process: in the first stage, a 3D digital document is produced that describes the artifact; in the second stage, a multimodal guide interacting with the 3D model is developed. A prototype multimodal guide has been implemented to narrate the Trojan Cycle, depicted on two of the rafters in the ceiling. This prototype was demonstrated to the general public and is detailed in the paper.