Application of Digital Technology in Cultural Heritage: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The preservation, documentation, interpretation, and communication of cultural heritage are being profoundly transformed by rapid advances in digital technologies. Building upon the strong response to the first edition of this Special Issue, this second edition seeks to present recent developments in the use of digital, non-invasive, non-destructive, and minimally invasive methods for the study and safeguarding of cultural heritage objects, collections, monuments, and sites.

Particular emphasis will be placed on integrated and reproducible workflows that connect data acquisition, material characterization, digital modelling, computational reconstruction, physical replication, visualization, interpretation, and public dissemination. Such approaches can support condition assessment, conservation planning, research, education, exhibition design, accessibility, and the long-term preservation of cultural heritage information.

Relevant contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Three-dimensional scanning, photogrammetry, structured-light scanning, laser scanning, and multimodal documentation;
• Point-cloud processing, mesh optimization, geometric analysis, computational reconstruction, and uncertainty assessment;
• Additive manufacturing and digital fabrication of replicas, restoration aids, educational models, tactile exhibits, and accessible heritage resources;
• Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray computed tomography, hyperspectral and multispectral imaging, scanning electron microscopy, and complementary analytical techniques;
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning for classification, feature recognition, virtual reconstruction, condition monitoring, predictive conservation, and decision support;
• Heritage building information modelling, digital twins, semantic modelling, metadata structures, and interoperable heritage data;
• Virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and interactive platforms for interpretation, education, remote access, and visitor engagement;
• Integration and fusion of geometric, spectral, spatial, historical, and material datasets;
• Digital preservation, open repositories, FAIR data practices, reproducibility, and long-term accessibility;
• Ethical, legal, and methodological issues related to authenticity, digital restoration, intellectual property, data ownership, and the representation of uncertainty;
• Sustainable approaches to digital documentation, physical replication, conservation, and heritage communication.

This Special Issue aims to demonstrate how advanced digital technologies can contribute not only to the accurate documentation and scientific analysis of cultural heritage, but also to its responsible interpretation, inclusive presentation, and sustainable transmission to future generations. Contributions presenting methodological advances, interdisciplinary case studies, comparative evaluations, validated workflows, and critical perspectives are particularly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Theodore Ganetsos
Dr. Antreas Kantaros
Guest Editors

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• cultural heritage digitization
• digital documentation
• non-destructive analysis
• 3D scanning
• photogrammetry
• additive manufacturing
• computational reconstruction
• artificial intelligence
• heritage digital twins
• HBIM
• extended reality
• hyperspectral imaging
• digital preservation
• accessible heritage

• Application of Digital Technology in Cultural Heritage in Applied Sciences (14 articles)