Digitizing Urban Cultural Heritage for Engaged Research

Researchers and experts from various fields such as ICT, HCI, GIS, design, architecture, urban planning, archeology have been collaborating for decades to build robust technologies and solutions within this research space - which include the emerging concept and production of ‘digital twins’ - or virtualized models of real-world spaces. While having immense potential, the possibility of producing urban-level digital twins as an engaged research and learning tool still needs the type of exploration this research proposes. From a user-experience perspective and co-production tool, the possibility of this producing a powerful co-design tool and method aimed at emerging sociocultural and environmental problems of cities dealing with post-industrial transitions. With this in mind, and determined to advance new sustainability models that align with the main objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda (2015), the objectives of the research in this DUCHER project involves;

1. Collaborations and knowledge exchange between 3 research institutes (KU, UCC, CyI) with their expertise in different topics (KU - User Experience and XR; UCC - Architecture and Digitization; CyI - Archeology, GIS, Digitization)
2. Prepare a graduate level course that can be offered in all 3 institutes and conducted in collaboration as a part of the UNIC Master’s Programme ‘Redesigning the Post-Industrial City’ [REPIC]. This course can involve both skills for digitization and topics related to engaged research of each home city.
3. Prepare a Twinning application involving these partners for further knowledge exchange. Some part of this seed fund will be used for working with a research writing service provider; White Research.
4. Establishing early steps of a Horizon application. All these efforts will also be used as a basis for the preparation of a larger Horizon RIA project application that focuses on engaged research with urban and archeological digital twins.