Applications of Digital Technologies in the Heritage Preservation

Dear Colleagues,

The role played by three-dimensional digital documentation in cultural heritage conservation is now increasingly recognised as a key pillar in the process of documentation, conservation, and valorisation. Accurate, high-resolution models of cultural heritage sites, buildings, and artefacts have become essential for safeguarding the tangible and intangible values of our cultural heritage.

This Special Issue on Applications of Digital Technologies in the Heritage Preservation aims to explore the diverse and changing ways in which digital tools are reshaping the documentation, preservation, and sharing of cultural heritage. It aims to present innovative methodological approaches and practical applications resulting from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborations. By bringing together contributions from different fields, the Special Issue will highlight the potential of digital technologies to enrich, protect, and communicate cultural heritage in a variety of contexts and in a sustainable manner.

In particular, 3D data capture and modelling has benefited from both consolidated and emerging tools that support the integrated collection and production of spatial data, and the continued development of semantic classification and segmentation techniques, coupled with pioneering research on artificial intelligence, is providing increasingly sophisticated tools that enable the analysis and interpretation of complex heritage datasets.

The effective management of 3D and spatial data is critical to the full exploitation of digital heritage resources, and structured data management systems now play a central role in ensuring the long-term preservation and usability of digital resources, while supporting data interoperability across platforms and disciplines for the creation of cultural ecosystems.

Spatially organised information systems, such as geographic information systems (GISs) and building information modelling (BIM), have emerged as powerful frameworks for the integration, visualisation, and analysis of heritage data, offering new opportunities for decision making and implementation of conservation measures.

In addition, the semantic enrichment of digital cultural assets significantly enhances their descriptive, informational and cognitive value. This level of interpretation promotes a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of heritage resources and facilitates their accessibility and reuse in a variety of academic, educational and professional settings.

Digital technologies not only offer innovative approaches to documentation, analysis, and restoration, but also provide crucial solutions for the dissemination and long-term protection of cultural heritage.

The natural and anthropogenic hazards that put our heritage at risk of physical and cultural loss have led to a multidisciplinary approach that combines geomatics and diagnostic tools and techniques (as reflected in the latest guidelines), contributing significantly to the sustainability, resilience, and global accessibility of cultural heritage.

We welcome practical and theoretical contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to 3D data capture, semantic data management, digital modelling, heritage conservation, archaeology, architecture, and applied heritage informatics. Papers may address methodological developments, case studies, critical reviews, or conceptual insights that advance the understanding and application of digital technologies in the cultural heritage sector.

Prof. Lidia Fiorini
Dr. Grazia Tucci
Prof. Dr. Franco Niccolucci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• approaches to cultural heritage
• 3D digital tecnologies
• architectural heritage information systems
• digital twins
• 3D data and semantics
• knowledgebase systems
• heritage and environment
• risk analysis
• CH monitoring
• sustainability