Presentation for the CREATOUR 2nd​ International Conference - Emerging and Future Trends in Creative Tourism, ​7, 8 and 9th June 2018. Part of the Project "Mosaico – Conímbriga and Sicó"

1. Digital tools for exploring
roman mosaic - a roadmap
Project “Mosaico – Conímbriga and Sicó”
Jorge C. S. Cardoso, Humberto Figueiredo, Virgílio Hipólito Correia

2. Contents
1. The project Mosaico - Conímbriga and Sicó
2. Roadmap of Integration of Digital Tools
a. Support for Physical Mosaic Workshops
b. Education and Entertainment
c. Visitor’s Support and Information Dissemination
d. Museum/Site Analytics

3. Mosaico - Conímbriga e Sicó
● Based on the valuable Roman Mosaic Heritage present in the
geographical axis constituted by the Ruins of the Roman city of
Conímbriga, the Roman Villa of Rabaçal and the Monumental
Complex of Santiago da Guarda.
● Headquartered in the “Monographic Museum of Conímbriga –
National Museum” – an important center for archaeological
research, conservation and restoration of Roman Mosaic.

4. Mosaico - Conímbriga e Sicó
● Promotes cultural and creative activities within the museums,
interpretative centers and archaeological sites included in its
program of action.
● The visitors are invited to be involved in alternative experiences of
sharing knowledge about the Roman Mosaic Heritage
● Mosaic as an expression of creativity brought into the present and
reinterpreted now and in the future.

5. A Roadmap for the Introduction of
Digital Tools
● Support for Physical Mosaic Workshops
● Education and Entertainment
● Visitor’s Support and Information
Dissemination
● Museum/Site Analytics

6. Support for
Physical
Mosaic
Workshops
Digital tools that support the
activities of physical mosaic
workshops

7. Support for Physical Mosaic
Workshops
● Can we facilitate the mosaic creation
process with digital tools?
● Can we enhance the process with digital
platforms?

8. Simple Mosaic Editor
● Targeted at creation of simple mosaics (orthogonal grid)
● Allows experimentation before composing physical mosaic
● Web-based (can be used on tablets or PCs)
● Pattern can be printed
● We can adjust color palettes to existing physical materials

9. Mosaic Editor
● Explore other computational
mosaic creation approaches
● Professional use?
Battiato, S., Blasi, G. Di, Farinella, G. M., & Gallo, G. (2006). A Novel
Technique for Opus Vermiculatum Mosaic Rendering. In Proceedings of
the 14th International Conference in Central Europe on Computer
Graphics, Visualization and Computer Vision (WSCG 2006, February,
2006, Plzen, Czech Republic) (pp. 133–140). Retrieved from
http://svg.dmi.unict.it/iplab/USER/viewproject.php?id_prog=5

10. Digital Mosaic Platform
● Extend the reach of the information about mosaics and the
resulting mosaic patterns from workshops
● Provide predefined, editable, patterns for later modification
● Create a web of information about patterns, their names, in which
mosaics they are used
○ Possible connection with geo-locations of mosaics
● Shared database of patterns created by students, scholars, etc.

11. Education and
Entertainment

12. Creating mosaics with computer programming
● Snap! is a visual, drag-and-drop programming language
● We are adapting it for easier programming of mosaic patterns
● Workshops on computational mosaics
○ We can combine history of roman mosaics with geometrical and
mathematical concepts and computer programming!

13. Creating mosaics with computer programming

14. Creating mosaics with computer programming

15. SandBox Interactive Experiences
● Digging and shaping sand as a form of
interaction
● Can be used to simulate digging up mosaics
or other archaeological artifacts
● Can be used as a museum attraction

16. SandBox Interactive Experiences

17. Visitor’s
Support and
Information
Dissemination
Digital tools, e.g., mobile
applications to augment the
visit to a roman mosaic site

18. Mobile application(s)
● Provide contextual information about roman houses/mosaics
○ E.g., in Conímbriga
● Provide information about roman mosaic sites in the region
○ Raise awareness about other mosaic sites

19. Augmented reality mobile applications

20. Augmented reality mobile applications

21. Involvement of students
● A different type of public
○ Students of Informatics Engineering
○ Students of Design and Multimedia
● Thinking about technical aspects of roman mosaic
● Thinking about interactive experiences around roman mosaic

22. Conclusion
Digital tools can permeate various experiences
around mosaic
Care not to replace physical experience!
Augment, not replace

23. The End
Digital tools for exploring roman
mosaic - a roadmap
Project “Mosaico – Conímbriga and Sicó”
Jorge C. S. Cardoso, Humberto Figueiredo, Virgílio Hipólito Correia

24. Online version