THE CONTRIBUTION OF MODERN GEOMETRIC RECORDING AND VISUALIZATION 
METHODS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW MUSEUM CONCEPT 
Ch. Ioannidis“, M. Xipnitou b , C. Potsiou. c , S. Soile c 
a Ass. Prof., Lab. of Photogrammetry, National Technical University of Athens, e-mail: cioannid@survey.ntua.gr 
b Architect, Mycenaean Committee, Ministry of Culture, Greece, e-mail: liongate@otenet.gr 
c Researcher, Lab. of Photogrammetry, National Technical University of Athens 
KEYWORDSrCultural Tourism Museum, Recording, Visualization, Augmented Reality, Archaeological Heritage Conservation 
ABSTRACT: 
Technological development increases the value of a museum as a means for information dissemination by redefining its features as 
well as its new relationship with space and people. The creation of virtual reality systems and the development of a worldwide 
network society offer the museums the ability to promote their exhibits or their education material at a global audience at a relatively 
low cost. Great help can be offered by the new techniques in 3D geometric recording of objects-monuments of any size and the 
advanced spatial information management systems. 
In this paper the basic principles of a new concept regarding the ‘space’ of the museum is developed. In this concept a museum is 
examined as a building with its operational characteristics and also according to its information and activity: from the classical serial 
narration to the creation of different and multiple routes varying from the ‘real’ to the ‘hybrid virtual’ space where the real object 
and the virtual reality co-exist. 
Such an initiative is proposed for the new local archaeological museum in the archaeological site of Mycenae. Mycenae was the 
biggest centre of Prehistoric Hellenism during the second millennium BC. Now it is one of the most important archaeological sites at 
global level. It is worth noticing that only the ruins of building foundations have survived through centuries in situ and moreover 
most of the significant finds and gold masterpieces are exhibited in other central museums thus diminishing the amount of artifacts 
of the local museum to ceramic items only. Therefore there is a great potential for implementing the new museum concept using 
digital recording and visualization techniques for an integrated functioning of the archaeological site and the neighbouring local 
museum. A proposal for using digital photogrammetric techniques (for the processing and the 3D stereoscopic visualization of the 
existing monuments and the data of the destroyed monuments derived from old photos or plans) together with terrestrial laser 
scanning data of complicated artifacts and the implementation of an archaeological Spatial Information System (SIS) containing 
text, vector, raster, video and image data, is given. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The use of new technologies in museum design and in applying 
new ways for exhibiting the finds is becoming an important 
issue among museum professionals. The development of new 
tools for an analog or digital demonstration of the artifacts, the 
possibility of having the museum visitors moving within a real, 
virtual or mixed reality environment (i.e. Hall et al 2001; 
Sticker et al 2001), and the ever increasing use of the Web are a 
real challenge for modem museums, and at the same time they 
generate essential questions regarding not only the practice of 
museology but the general operation of the museum as well. 
According to the definition given by ICOM, “a museum is a 
non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of the 
society and of its development, and open to the public, which 
acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for 
purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence 
of people and their environment”. Under this concept, the 
influence of the rapidly developing techniques in computer 
graphics, visualization and animation can be very significant; it 
has already resulted in the creation of virtual museums on the 
Web with virtual walking routes along still existing or lost 
worlds with automatic sightseeing in archaeological collections, 
etc (for example see: www.virtualfreesites.com/museums.html, 
www.nga.gov/exhibitions/webtours.html,www.archimuse.com 
/mw2003/, //mpiro.ime.gr, or at the proceedings of the annual 
conferences of‘Museums and the Web’, VAST,CAST). 
Yet, if we stay at the concept 
of a real museum and 
especially at the archaeo 
logical one, we have to 
admit that it is significantly 
influenced by the new 
technologies and the new 
architectural trends about 
‘space’. 
In such an environment the 
museum should emphasize 
its distinguished nature as a 
place where material culture 
Figure 1. Architecture is no . 
. ~ , ... is preserved and which oners 
longer fixed or static , , , 
, . , . ,> alternative experiences based 
iwww.oosterhuis.nl i , ... _ „ 
on the participation of all 
senses. The geometrical recording of sites and finds, especially 
by using photogrammetric procedures and laser scanning, have 
contributed to the transformation of the traditional museum and 
to a new definition of its relationship with space and visitors. 
2. THE NEW CONCEPT FOR THE LOCAL 
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM 
Recent technological achievements tend to replace the classic 
anthropocentric way of representing and memorializing cultural 
heritage. Very frequently a lack of clear exhibition program and 
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