The Digital Heritage & Humanities Collections (DHHC) with the University of South Florida (USF) Libraries, uses the latest in Reality Capture, 3D, and spatial documentation strategies, to record heritage sites, landscapes, and objects from around the world. We are creating digital learning tools and library collections that promote sustainable heritage tourism, education, and interpretation strategies.
Much of the world’s cultural and natural heritage is endangered or imperiled. Climate change, illicit trafficking and looting, natural catastrophes, war and conflict, over-visitation, and development pressures, all can cause damages that may be irreversible. Even objects thought protected and preserved in museums can be susceptible to loss. Working with agencies, governments, communities, and the public and private sector, USF’s Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections are meeting these preservation challenges through the use of advanced spatial and imaging technologies. We are digitizing the world around us in ways that promote research, education, and new means of exploring and visualizing heritage through the development of library archival collections and applications. Along with collaborators and partners around the world, we are assisting with the rapid need for digitization of imperiled heritage and with overcoming challenges relating to historic preservation, archaeological visualization, and museum and library digital collection needs.