What challenge or opportunity did your project address, and what activities, methods, or outcomes have been achieved so far?
The “3D Capitals: Citizens Co-Creating the City’s Digital Cultural Heritage” project explored how citizen science can support high-quality 3D digitisation of cultural heritage. Focusing on the Romanesque capitals of the Cloister of the Monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès, the project trained citizens to capture images for photogrammetric reconstruction. By combining Living Lab methodologies, computer vision, and public participation, the project produced detailed 3D models while demonstrating a replicable approach to collaborative heritage documentation and públic engagement.
What key insights, lessons learned, or innovations emerged from your work that could be valuable to others working in the fields of cultural heritage and 3D technologies?
The project showed that, with appropriate guidance, citizen-generated data can effectively contribute to professional 3D digitisation. It also demonstrated the value of Living Lab approaches for combining research, education, and public engagement, highlighting how interdisciplinary collaboration can strengthen both technical outcomes and societal impact.
How could your project’s results, expertise, tools, datasets, or approaches contribute to and benefit the broader Time Machine Organisation network?
The project provides a transferable methodology for combining citizen science, Living Lab practices, and computer vision in heritage digitisation. Its workflows, training approach, and engagement model can be adapted by other TMO members, fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community participation in the creation of digital cultural heritage.
“With the right ambition, TMO can become a relevant actor to boost citizen-centric approaches in the context of the digital cultural heritage.”