Digital adoption is evolving the archaeological ways of practice as emerging technologies are becoming more popular. Recently, digital focus areas of archaeology have included drones for surveying land, AI for quickly classifying different artefacts and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping and analysing data to assess locations and the distribution of historic artefacts.
Following a VEC campaign promoting the potential of digital heritage, the Garstang Museum wanted to explore how they could take advantage of emerging technologies for digitalising heritage assets for improving preservation and accessibility.
The support meant Garstang Museum could:
- Raise awareness of existing and upcoming exhibitions and collections
- Utilise and promote artefacts that are not currently on display
- Reach a wider audience for greater accessibility
- Gain expert advice for investing £40k in scanning technology
The Benefits
- Creation of detailed and accurate records of artefacts
- Using photogrammetry technology for non-intrusive scanning practice
- Increase in inclusivity including virtual tours of the museum and exhibitions
- Greater community engagement
Client opinion
"’Digital engagement with our collections is an increasing focus of the work we do at the Garstang Museum, but creating 3D representations of our artefacts doesn’t end there – it is also very useful for documentation, research, and conservation purposes. With our collections comprising of tens of thousands of artefacts, what this technology and the VEC team has done is to allow for us to create accurate 3D records of ancient artefacts in a fraction of the time it has taken us using other methods in the past.’"
Dr Gina Criscenzo-Laycock,
Curator of the Garstang Museum
