An Innovative Approach to Shape Information Architecture Related to Ancient Manuscripts, Through Multi-layered Virtual Ecosystems. From Codex4D to DataSpace Project

Abstract

This contribution deals with the theme of ancient manuscripts and proposes an innovative approach to the construction of cultural ecosystems and virtual representations capable of integrating information levels of various kinds: not only textual and iconographic contents, as it usually happens, but also the form, structure, stratigraphy and elements hidden beneath the pictorial layers or beneath the texts visible on the surface, the constituent materials, the execution techniques, the state of conservation and the storytelling of the cultural context. This multidisciplinary approach results in a multidimensional virtual representation. Starting from the same data set, this cultural model is differently applied in a plurality of digital environments: 1) a 3D Web App, developed in the framework of the Codex4D project, conceived for the scientific visualisation of the manuscript, the analytical exploration of the virtual model and its information levels; 2) a holographic showcase, again developed in the context of the Codex4D project, conceived for the general public of museums and libraries, in which the research data are translated into a mixed-reality environment adopting a dramaturgical style; 3) an online digital platform, the DataSpace, mostly oriented to the scientific community, whose scope is to semantically organize, preserve in the long term, access, share and re-use information and data set produced by the Institute of Heritage Science, together with the documentation of processes and actions that led to their production. The contribution develops around these themes: conceptual maps, information architecture, user-experience design, and virtual environments to increase the knowledge of ancient manuscripts, in relation to various typologies of users.