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Heritage
Special Issues
Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage
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Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408). This special issue belongs to the section "Museum and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 5162

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stella Sylaiou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Surveying Engineering and Geoinformatics, International Hellenic University, Serres, Greece
Interests: eXtended Reality; smart heritage; digital documentation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Erik Malcolm Champion

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Enterprise Fellow UniSA Creative, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Interests: virtual heritage; cultural presence; virtual tourism; Machinima; architectural theory

Special Issue Information

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
Prof. Dr. Erik Malcolm Champion
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Keywords

  • digital museology
  • experimental museology
  • virtual museums
  • digital heritage
  • 3D documentation
  • extended reality in museums
  • geospatial technologies for heritage
  • smart museums and IoT
  • big data for museums
  • artificial intelligence in museums
  • machine learning for heritage analysis
  • digital twin for museums
  • crowdsourcing cultural heritage
  • heritage data visualization
  • digital storytelling in museums
  • digital ethics in heritage

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 15042 KB  
Article
Heritage Interpretation and Accessibility Through 360° Panoramic Tours: The Understory Art Trail and the Subiaco Hotel
by Hafizur Rahaman, David A. McMeekin, Thor Kerr and Erik Champion
Heritage 2025, 8(9), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8090378 - 14 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1356
Abstract
This paper examines how 360-degree panoramic tours can enhance heritage promotion, accessibility, and engagement, illustrated through two case studies: the Understory Art and Nature Trail in Northcliffe and the Subiaco Hotel in Perth, Western Australia. The Understory Art Trail was deployed in Google [...] Read more.
This paper examines how 360-degree panoramic tours can enhance heritage promotion, accessibility, and engagement, illustrated through two case studies: the Understory Art and Nature Trail in Northcliffe and the Subiaco Hotel in Perth, Western Australia. The Understory Art Trail was deployed in Google Street View to deliver an interactive, virtual walkthrough of outdoor art installations. This made the site accessible to a geographically diverse global audience, including those unable to visit in person. In contrast, the Subiaco Hotel tour was created with 3DVista. It integrated multimedia features such as historical photographs, architectural drawings, and narrative audio, offering users a layered exploration of built heritage. The two studies were designed so that frameworks like Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) could be applied to them to evaluate visitor experience. However, this paper focuses on the workflow for providing 360-degree panoramic tours, the integration of AR, low-cost digital twins, and the testing of interactive web platforms. Google Street View demonstrates ease of use through familiar navigation, while 3DVista reflects usefulness through its richer interpretive features. By analyzing workflows and digital strategies on both platforms, the study evaluates their effectiveness in increasing online visitor engagement, supporting heritage tourism, and communicating cultural significance. Challenges related to technical limitations, geolocation accuracy, audience targeting, and resource constraints are critically discussed. The findings demonstrate that context-sensitive applications of 360-degree tours are valuable for visibility, education, and long-term preservation. The paper concludes with targeted recommendations to guide future heritage projects in leveraging immersive digital technologies to expand audience engagement and support sustainable heritage management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage)
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17 pages, 1877 KB  
Article
Digitization of Museum Objects and the Semantic Gap
by Maija Spurina
Heritage 2025, 8(9), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8090369 - 6 Sep 2025
Viewed by 547
Abstract
This article examines the “semantic gap” in the digitisation of museum collections—the divide between human-comprehensible representations of artefacts and machine-readable data structures. Drawing on a comparative analysis of national museum databases from Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, the study explores how material objects are [...] Read more.
This article examines the “semantic gap” in the digitisation of museum collections—the divide between human-comprehensible representations of artefacts and machine-readable data structures. Drawing on a comparative analysis of national museum databases from Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, the study explores how material objects are transformed into digital surrogates and the challenges of creating interoperable, searchable, and meaningful datasets. Key obstacles include inconsistent metadata standards, linguistic variability, and differences in classification systems, which hinder aggregation and transnational analysis. Case studies of temporal, material, and image-based metadata reveal how human-oriented descriptions—rich in nuance, context, and uncertainty—often resist direct computational translation. The research shows that while digital formats offer powerful opportunities for aggregation, search, and reinterpretation of heritage at scale, this flexibility comes at the cost of reducing object-specific richness. The paper argues that the value, or “aura,” of digitised objects lies in their potential for connectivity and cross-institutional integration, achievable only through metadata standardisation and thoughtful design. Understanding digitisation as a culturally embedded process can help bridge disciplinary perspectives and improve future museum data infrastructures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage)
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22 pages, 538 KB  
Article
Meaning in the Algorithmic Museum: Towards a Dialectical Modelling Nexus of Virtual Curation
by Huining Guan and Pengbo Chen
Heritage 2025, 8(7), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070284 - 17 Jul 2025
Viewed by 906
Abstract
The rise of algorithm-driven virtual museums presents a philosophical challenge for how cultural meaning is constructed and critiqued in digital curation. Prevailing approaches highlight important but partial aspects: the loss of aura and authenticity in digital reproductions, efforts to maintain semiotic continuity with [...] Read more.
The rise of algorithm-driven virtual museums presents a philosophical challenge for how cultural meaning is constructed and critiqued in digital curation. Prevailing approaches highlight important but partial aspects: the loss of aura and authenticity in digital reproductions, efforts to maintain semiotic continuity with physical exhibits, optimistic narratives of technological democratisation, and critical technopessimist warnings about commodification and bias. Yet none provides a unified theoretical model of meaning-making under algorithmic curation. This paper proposes a dialectical-semiotic framework to synthesise and transcend these positions. The Dialectical Modelling Nexus (DMN) is a new conceptual structure that views meaning in virtual museums as emerging from the dynamic interplay of original and reproduced contexts, human and algorithmic sign systems, personal interpretation, and ideological framing. Through a critique of prior theories and a synthesis of their insights, the DMN offers a comprehensive model to diagnose how algorithms mediate museum content and to guide critical curatorial practice. The framework illuminates the dialectical tensions at the heart of algorithmic cultural mediation and suggests principles for preserving authentic, multi-layered meaning in the digital museum milieu. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage)
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Review

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33 pages, 2383 KB  
Review
Artificial Intelligence in Heritage Tourism: Innovation, Accessibility, and Sustainability in the Digital Age
by José-Manuel Sánchez-Martín, Rebeca Guillén-Peñafiel and Ana-María Hernández-Carretero
Heritage 2025, 8(10), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8100428 - 12 Oct 2025
Viewed by 229
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming heritage tourism through the incorporation of technological solutions that reconfigure the ways in which cultural heritage is conserved, interpreted, and experienced. This article presents a critical and systematic review of current AI applications in this field, with [...] Read more.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming heritage tourism through the incorporation of technological solutions that reconfigure the ways in which cultural heritage is conserved, interpreted, and experienced. This article presents a critical and systematic review of current AI applications in this field, with a special focus on their impact on destination management, the personalization of tourist experiences, universal accessibility, and the preservation of both tangible and intangible assets. Based on an analysis of the scientific literature and international use cases, key technologies such as machine learning, computer vision, generative models, and recommendation systems are identified. These tools enable everything from the virtual reconstruction of historical sites to the development of intelligent cultural assistants and adaptive tours, improving the visitor experience and promoting inclusion. This study also examines the main ethical, technical, and epistemological challenges associated with this transformation, including algorithmic surveillance, data protection, interoperability between platforms, the digital divide, and the reconfiguration of heritage knowledge production processes. In conclusion, this study argues that AI, when implemented in accordance with principles of responsibility, sustainability, and cultural sensitivity, can serve as a strategic instrument for ensuring the accessibility, representativeness, and social relevance of cultural heritage in the digital age. However, its effective integration necessitates the development of sector-specific ethical frameworks, inclusive governance models, and sustainable technological implementation strategies that promote equity, community participation, and long-term viability. Furthermore, this article highlights the need for empirical research to assess the actual impact of these technologies and for the creation of indicators to evaluate their effectiveness, fairness, and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Museology and Emerging Technologies in Cultural Heritage)
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