HERITALISE (Heritage buildings and objects' digitisation & visualisation within the cloud) aims to advance digitisation techniques for documenting and representing both visible and non-visible features of cultural heritage assets. By applying AI-powered tools for data post-processing and integration, the project will transform raw data into meaningful insights, organised in an interconnected knowledge graph. Similar to Wikipedia, this structure will allow users to navigate links to explore individual objects, related research and derived results.
HERITALISE will integrate with the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), providing a scalable, web-based platform that allows European cultural heritage institutions to access, enrich and share high-quality digital resources for preservation and research.
The project will review current digitisation standards and data needs for tangible and intangible heritage; enhance 2D and 3D data acquisition methods; develop AI-powered post-processing and multimodal data fusion techniques; deliver hardware and software-based solutions; build ECCCH-compliant, open interoperability components; and boost the impact of emerging digitisation technologies.
Project goals
- Undertake a review of current digitisation standards and methodologies, defining the data requirements for tangible and intangible cultural heritage objects.
- Improve 2D and 3D data acquisition methods and technologies.
- Support the adoption of data post-processing methods and technologies, including new AI-powered digitisation methods and data fusion techniques.
- Develop methodologies and solutions as hardware and/or software services.
- Develop ECCCH-compliant, open interoperability components to enable the connection and sharing of data and modular services in a distributed web-based architecture.
- Enhance the effectiveness of current and emerging digitisation technologies.
“HERITALISE will develop advanced digitisation techniques and AI/ML tools to document cultural heritage, linking data via a knowledge graph for richer exploration. Europeana is a critical partner, bringing expertise in data mapping, standards, interoperability and professional development across the cultural heritage sector.”
Project partners
- Idp Ingenieria Y Arquitectura Iberia SL (IDP), Spain
- Fundacion Tekniker, Spain
- Consorzio Delle Residenze Reali Sabaude, Italy
- Fundacion Santa Maria La Real Del Patrimonio Historico, Spain
- Politecnico Di Torino, Italy
- Comet Global Innovation, Spain
- Building Digital Twin Association, Belgium
- Technologiko Panepistimio Kyprou, Cyprus
- Open Geospatial Consortium Europe, Belgium
- Europeana Foundation, the Netherlands
- Centro Per La Conservazione Ed Il Restauro Dei Beni Culturali La Venaria Reale Fondazione, Italy
- Heritage Malta, Malta
- Stichting European Museum Academy, the Netherlands
- European Innovation Marketplace ASBL, Belgium
Associated partners
- The University Court of the University of St. Andrews, UK
- West Highland Museum Trust, UK
- Helmsdale Heritage and Arts Society, UK
Funding information
| Funding stream | Horizon Europe (opens in new window) |
| Contract number | 101158081 |
| Funders | |
Key project impact
| Buildings and artefacts digitised for case studies on the use of AI/ML tools | 12 |
| Provenance paradata documented for case studies | 10 |
| Datasets documented | 2,000 |

