Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage (Second Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has profoundly transformed the way cultural heritage is preserved, documented, and experienced. Digital museology and experimental museology are reshaping traditional museum practices by integrating cutting-edge tools such as 3D documentation, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). These advancements enable the creation of immersive museum experiences, digital storytelling, and smart museum environments, broadening accessibility and engagement. Furthermore, the integration of big data, machine learning, and digital twins in cultural heritage allows for innovative approaches to conservation, visualization, and research. However, with these opportunities come ethical considerations regarding data ownership, authenticity, and user interaction in digital heritage.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research on digital solutions and emerging technologies in museology, fostering discussions on new methodologies, applications, and challenges in the field. The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) and provide a platform for scholars, researchers, and practitioners to explore how digital transformation is redefining museums, cultural heritage preservation, and audience engagement. This Special Issue aligns with the journal’s scope by promoting interdisciplinary approaches at the intersection of technology, heritage science, and digital humanities.

We invite original research articles and comprehensive review papers that provide insights into the latest advancements, case studies, theoretical frameworks, and experimental applications in digital museology and cultural heritage.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Virtual museums and extended reality (XR): AR/VR/MR applications, immersive experiences, digital storytelling, and gamification.
• Three-dimensional heritage documentation and digital twins: Digital digitization, virtual representations and reconstructions, and Digital Twin technologies and practices.
• Big data and AI in museums: Machine learning, AI-driven curation, and data-driven heritage analysis.
• Smart museums and IoT: Sensor technologies, interactive exhibits, and connected museum environments.
• Geospatial technologies in heritage: GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis for cultural heritage.
• Crowdsourcing and digital ethics: Public participation, open-access heritage, and ethical considerations in digital museology.
• Heritage data visualization: Advanced techniques for representing and analyzing heritage datasets.

We encourage submissions from researchers in museum studies, digital humanities, computer science, virtual heritage, and related fields. We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Stella Sylaiou
Dr. Erik Malcolm Champion
Dr. Georgios Papaioannou
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-anonymized 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 1800 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.