Digital Imaging
Imaging and imagebases
General resources
Technical resources
Standards, Specifications, Formats
Bibliographic resources
Resources at other sites
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Digital ImagingImaging and imagebases General resources |
This report, sponsored by the National Museum of Natural History's Collections and Research Information System (CRIS) Development Program, is the result of a study to understand the requirements and alternatives for digital conversion of scientific illustration collections of the Museum. The analysis was undertaken by Mitretek Systems, McLean, Virginia. Specific digitization procedures, methods, and standards are being examined by the Museum within the framework of pilot projects to test the initial recommendations contained in this report.
Many CPA reports deal either directly or indirectly with digital imaging. The CPA Newsletter also deals with this topic quite regularly
See also David Remington, below
"Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) works to advance the state of the art in digital capture and documentation of the world's cultural, historic, and artistic treasures. By providing tools, technology, and training, CHI drives adoption of new best practices by cultural heritage professionals. These best practices benefit museums, libraries, archaeological sites, other cultural heritage institutions, and the audiences they serve.
To develop and disseminate best practices, CHI collaborates with digital imaging and cultural heritage experts from leading industry and research organizations. CHI technology collaborators include scientists at: Hewlett Packard Laboratories (HP Labs) and university and government researchers around the world. For more information on CHI's methods in the current context of cultural heritage research, read 'The Big Picture' position paper.
CHI's cultural heritage collaborators represent top projects and sites throughout the United States and Europe—from Southern California to the Swiss Alps and the Mediterranean. CHI ensures that its cultural heritage partners are dynamically involved in solution development from the beginning. See Featured Projects for examples of CHI's collaborative work.
CHI selects and develops technologies that meet stringent requirements. CHI best practices use standard digital photography tools and techniques. CHI processes can be fully automated for ease of use and are scientifically reliable. The results (high-quality, interactive images and data) are readily available to scholars via the Internet.
CHI refines best practices through rigorous field tests with real-world collaborators and freely distributes its work to the cultural heritage community."
Topics include:
- Reflectance Transformation Imaging
- When a virtual light is moved over the RTI image in a special viewer, the user sees surface relief emerge in striking three dimensionality.
- Digital Photography
- When a virtual light is moved over the PTM image in a special viewer, the user sees surface relief emerge in striking three dimensionality.
- Digital Photography
- When a virtual light is moved over the PTM image in a special viewer, the user sees surface relief emerge in striking three dimensionality.
- Object Movies
- Object movies are a cost effective way to document cultural heritage materials in the round.
- 3D Imaging
- Building 3D virtual worlds with geometric spatial information and associated surface textures is just the beginning.
- Panoramas
- Panoramas are an excellent way to document an environment, site context, or an enclosed space. Building 3D virtual worlds with geometric spatial information and associated surface textures is just the beginning.
A tool to calculate the minimum resolution (in dpi) necessary to resolve the smallest detail required, at the the quality level desired (based on ANSI/AIIM MS23-1991 Quality Index).
See also:
- International Color Consortium (ICC), below
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), below
- Columbia University Libraries, below
- Research Library Group (especially DigiNews), below
A wonderfully rich compilation of information on formats, current and past, for data, software, and hardware. Coverage includes graphics, 3d graphics, movies/animations, archive formats, binaries, spreadsheet/database, financials/stocks, fonts, games, text/documents, Internet related formats, sound and music, Windows, GIS formats, communications formats, printer formats, hardware formats, etc
The National Imagery Transmission Format Standard (NITFS) "is the standard for formatting digital imagery and imagery-related products and exchanging them among members of the Intelligence Community (IC) as defined by Executive Order 12333, the Department of Defense (DOD), and other departments and agencies of the United States Government as governed by Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with those departments and agencies."
It entails
Prepared by the Image Quality Working Group of ArchivesCom, a joint Libraries/AcIS committee. (Last Revised April 2, 1997)
"Abstract: Archaeological visualization can be valuable to archaeologists if it includes analytical possibilities and solutions to methodological problems that confront them (e.g., faster data sharing). In this study of methods, non-metric and metric analyses were carried out on images (taken using a digital camera) of 8 two-dimensional views of each of 30 projectile points. Metric analysis included the invention of programs that produce grids as measuring devices that adjust to the length of a centimeter scale in an image. Portability of data and speed of data communication are explored in this project, especially in the creation of this website because the data can be shared very quickly with other archaeologists, and the project can be transferred somewhat easily to a CD-ROM to avoid problems associated with obtaining the information from the internet (e.g., slow connections). Issues associated with the use of these statistically valid results are also discussed."
"How does a painting change during transport? 3D imaging allows the recording of states before and after transport, in high resolution, for comparison; transport-related changes can be displayed automatically. The project 3D Artscan the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart and the Institute of Applied Optics, University of Stuttgart, funded by the DFG, is concerned with a new method for the examination and evaluation of the transportation impact of artworks."
"The workbook provides a comprehensive overview of digital preservation issues and practice and will be of interest to ditigitisation projects and curators in museums, libraries, archives, and the cultural heritage, research and publishing sectors.
Topics related to imaging include:
Contents:
An interview with Michael Sands, on color management, imaging realia, and treatment of mechanical devices such as pinball machines.
[A] bimonthly web-based newsletter intended to:
- Focus on issues of particular interest and value to managers of digital initiatives with a preservation component or rationale.
- Provide filtered guidance and pointers to relevant projects to improve our awareness of evolving practices in image conversion and digital archiving.
- Announce publications (in any form) that will help staff attain a deeper understanding of digital issues.
Some highlights include
"Recent improvements in laser rangefinder technology, together with algorithms developed at Stanford for combining multiple range and color images, allow us to reliably and accurately digitize the external shape and surface characteristics of many physical objects. Examples include machine parts, cultural artifacts, and design models for the manufacturing, moviemaking, and video game industries.
"As an application of this technology, a team of 30 faculty, staff, and students from Stanford University and the University of Washington spent the 1998-99 academic year in Italy scanning the sculptures and architecture of Michelangelo. As a side project, we also scanned 1,163 fragments of the Forma Urbis Romae, a giant marble map of ancient Rome. We are currently back in the United States processing the data we acquired. Our goal is to produce a set of 3D computer models - one for each statue, architectural setting, and map fragment we scanned - and to make these models available to scholars worldwide."
Includes a ultraviolet fluorescence map"> of Michelangelo's David.
"Once mapped onto our 3D computer model, this data will show the location of waxes and other organic materials that have been applied to the statue over the centuries. Conservators can use this information when planning future cleanings and restorations of the statue."
Computers and new imaging technologies are fast becoming an integral part of the work of conservation. Conservators and scientists in the Straus Center for Conservation, located in the Fogg Art Museum, have been at the forefront of research into these technologies.
This interactive program demonstrates the ways in which computer technology can be harnessed to add to our knowledge about Renaissance paintings and how they were made.
"This paper was written by a group of Library of Congress conservators who have worked closely with NDL digitization projects and NDL project leaders since the beginning of the program in 1995. The multi-faceted and precedent setting role which conservation plays in digital image conversion projects in the NDL in the areas of consultation, training, and treatment for scanning is discussed. Additional information will be added in the coming months which will provide details regarding experience with specific collections."
"Papers, tables and glossaries describing metadata discussions and development at the Library of Congress 1995 to the present."
"Contracts have been awarded for the work described in the Requests for Proposals. These versions represent the final document at the time of award, but prior to subsequent contract modifications. Therefore, they may differ somewhat from the original solicitation documents which were distributed prior to contract award."
"This report was prepared for the National Digital Library Program by the Image Permanence Institute."
"These technical papers were based on the experience gained during the American Memory Pilot Project. The concepts discussed and the principles developed still guide the Library's digital conversion efforts, although some of the details have changed as digitizing technology has improved and new digital formats have been widely deployed. An update of the first paper is in preparation."
"This project explored the digitization of large-scale twentieth-century manuscript collections by producing images of 10,000 document pages, mostly typescripts, from the New Deal Federal Theatre collection. The project was sponsored by the Library of Congress Preservation Directorate, overseen by the National Digital Library Program, and carried out from 1994-97 by Picture Elements, Inc.
NOTE: Please consult the HTML version of the report for Appendix A. Hyperlinks to images and other information are not available in the PDF version which is offered primarily for ease of printing.
"This evaluation, carried out before American Memory collections were accessible over the World Wide Web, includes information on how primary-source materials are used in schools and factors that are important to teachers.
This workshop, held at the Library of Congress, brought together many of the pioneers in electronic text and document imaging in library or archives contexts. In part, the meeting highlighted the differences in motivation and approach between those who focussed on searchable text marked up with SGML and those concerned with imaging as a part of library preservation."
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