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Technology and the fruition of cultural heritage are becoming increasingly more entwined, especially with the advent of smart audio guides, virtual and augmented reality, and interactive installations. Machine learning and computer vision are important components of this ongoing integration, enabling new interaction modalities between user and museum. Nonetheless, the most frequent way of interacting with paintings and statues still remains taking pictures. Yet images alone can only convey the aesthetics of the artwork, lacking is information which is often required to fully understand and appreciate it. Usually this additional knowledge comes both from the artwork itself (and therefore the image depicting it) and from an external source of knowledge, such as an information sheet. While the former can be inferred by computer vision algorithms, the latter needs more structured data to pair visual content with relevant information. Regardless of its source, this information still must be be effectively transmitted to the user. A popular emerging trend in computer vision is Visual Question Answering (VQA), in which users can interact with a neural network by posing questions in natural language and receiving answers about the visual content. We believe that this will be the evolution of smart audio guides for museum visits and simple image browsing on personal smartphones. This will turn the classic audio guide into a smart personal instructor with which the visitor can interact by asking for explanations focused on specific interests. The advantages are twofold: on the one hand the cognitive burden of the visitor will decrease, limiting the flow of information to what the user actually wants to hear; and on the other hand it proposes the most natural way of interacting with a guide, favoring engagement. Comment: accepted at FlorenceHeritech 2020

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is one of Ravenna’s UNESCO protected monuments, globally renowned for the extraordinary mosaic decorations that cover the internal surfaces. The famous starry vault profoundly engages and inspires the observer. It has been studied for its accuracy in the representation of the real sky, but also because of its mystical and symbolic meaning in relation to the iconographic tradition of the time. The building has also been subject of archeoastronomical research (Romano in Orientamenti ad sidera. Astronomia, riti e calendari per la fondazione di templi e citta. Un esempio a Ravenna. Edizioni Essegi, Ravenna, 1995), which is here presented in depth. The present contribution also examines other architectural elements beyond orientation: particular attention is payed to the small slit windows of the building to investigate their possible archaeoastronomical significance. In the study of these elements, particular attention should be payed to the elaboration of architectural survey data, which has to be produced following established procedures and techniques. A functional 3D model will be developed from the data of the archaeoastronomical analysis to display the original morphology of the building (the floor was about 1.4 m lower because of subsidence movements), astronomical phenomena, and allow for multimedia communication of the scientific content produced. Finally, the related issues will be investigated: the geometric and projective transformations of the starry dome, the geometric shape of space also in relation to the unit of measurement used.

The paper presents the first results of the Cortona Heritage Project, which takes the opportunity to use the techniques of Virtual heritage to implementing concrete and innovative modes making the very rich cultural heritage of ancient Tuscan cities accessible for more people and engaging new publics by promoting its knowledge among young generations.

Abstract Research activity on ejectors is ongoing at the University of Florence since the late nineties. The most important achievement is a 40 kW ejector chiller designed according to the “CRMC” criterion. The experimentally validated CFD simulations have given some hints about some possible improvements, i.e. refine the surface finish of the ejector, study the effect of heat transfer and improve the final part of the diffuser, which in its present shape does not produce a measurable compression. The prototype has been recently filled with low-GWP refrigerant R1233zd, as a drop-in replacement of previously used R245fa. Both fluids are “dry-expanding” and hence significantly easier to model in CFD simulations. Synthetic low-GWP refrigerants may be an option for ejector chillers, due to their ability to reach below-zero temperature and high volumetric refrigerant capacity. Some lessons learned with synthetic refrigerants can be transferred to the project of a steam ejector chiller, which remains one of our future targets. Herein we resume the principal findings gathered by means of experimental and numerical activity on our prototype and propose a few ideas for the future research.

Abstract. Cultural heritage digitization and 3D modelling processes are mainly based on laser scanning and digital photogrammetry techniques to produce complete, detailed and photorealistic three-dimensional surveys: geometric as well as chromatic aspects, in turn testimony of materials, work techniques, state of preservation, etc., are documented using digitization processes. The paper explores the topic of 3D documentation for conservation purposes; it analyses how geomatics contributes in different steps of a restoration process and it presents an overview of different uses of 3D models for the conservation and enhancement of the cultural heritage. The paper reports on the project to digitize the earthenware frieze of the Ospedale del Ceppo in Pistoia (Italy) for 3D documentation, restoration work support, and digital and physical reconstruction and integration purposes. The intent to design an exhibition area suggests new ways to take advantage of 3D data originally acquired for documentation and scientific purposes.

Present highest energy heavy ion experiments show the dominance of the fluid dynamical processes. The possibility of new collective phenomena, rotation and turbulence occurs, which were known only in macroscopic systems up to now. These cand be detected with a new type of polarization measurements. publishedVersion

This paper discusses an approach for identification of historic buildings that combines Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) survey, Deviation Analysis (DA) and Finite Element (FE) numerical modelling. The methodology is presented through the application to an illustrative case study: an early medieval period brick minaret located in Aksaray (Turkey). Precise direction of inclination, leaning angle, local deviations from circular building shape, deflections from vertical planes, local curvatures and related maps were obtained with high accuracy by DA, based on detailed point cloud 3D mesh model. In addition, differently from traditional approaches in FE analysis, a method for direct transfer of high accuracy TLS based 3D model to FE structural analysis is introduced. The FE model is subsequently employed to interpret and verify structural health of the historic building. Conference on Florence Heri-Tech - The Future of Heritage Science and Technologies -- MAY 16-18, 2018 -- Florence, ITALY WOS: 000452025100085 Univ Florence

The engineering of software product lines begins with the identification of the possible variation points. To this aim, natural language (NL) requirement documents can be used as a source from which variability-relevant information can be elicited. In this paper, we propose to identify variability issues as a subset of the ambiguity defects found in NL requirement documents. To validate the proposal, we single out ambiguities using an available NL analysis tool, QuARS, and we classify the ambiguities returned by the tool by distinguishing among false positives, real ambiguities, and variation points, by independent analysis and successive agreement phase. We consider three different sets of requirements and collect the data that come from the analysis performed.

The Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of the most important pieces of architecture in Florence. It is an octagonal building, encrusted with marble both internally and externally (including the pyramidal roof) and covered inside by a magnificent dome with sparkling gold mosaics. During Dante’s time, it appeared much older than the other monuments, so its origins were considered as hailing straight from Florence’s most remote and mythical history. Even though we have much more data now, scholars still disagree over the interpretations on the origin and construction sequence of the monument. <br><br> Survey has always been considered a main instrument for understanding historical architecture, mostly from constructional and structural points of view. During the last century, the Baptistery was surveyed using both traditional techniques and the most up-to-date instruments available at the time, such as topography, close-range photogrammetry and laser scanning. So, a review of those early applications, even if partial or isolated, can significantly attest to the state of the art and evolution of survey techniques. <br><br> During recent years, the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore promoted new research and a wide range of diagnostic investigations aimed at acquiring greater knowledge of the monument in anticipation of the cleaning and restoration of the outer wall surfaces during 2015. <br><br> Among this research, GeCo Lab carried out a new systematic and complete laser scanner survey of the whole Baptistery, acquiring data for the more inaccessible parts that were given little attention during other survey campaigns. <br><br> First of all, the paper analyses recent contributions given by instrumental surveys in advancing knowledge of the building, with references to the cutting-edge techniques and measurement tools used at the time. Then, it describes the new survey campaign, illustrating the approach followed in the planning, data acquisition and data elaboration phases; finally, it gives examples of some interpretations of the structure stemming from the new acquisitions.