Microsoft: cutting-edge technology and cultural heritage inheritance

An article on Bo-Wen we explored the use of innovative technology from Microsoft to help cultural heritage, and today we continue this topic to talk about Microsoft's cultural heritage digital research (eHeritage) project.

Excerpt from: Microsoft eHeritage (cultural heritage digital research): cultural heritage protection, a new perspective on

Visit Microsoft Research Asia, Ms. song of Roland, Vice President, the world heritage magazine, spring 2009

Author: Xin Tai Chi, MA

The advantage of relying on Microsoft's technologies, promote cultural heritage protection and research to help partners to make a unique contribution to make to society as many meaningful things is we are engaged in "the main purpose of eHeritage" ...

— Excerpted from the song of Roland interview notes

Microsoft Research Asia, Ms. song of Roland, Vice President

The theme of "eHeritage" research programme

Microsoft Research Asia University Relations Department in 2008 official launch "eHeritage" topic research projects.

"EHeritage" is the most advanced technology and research applied to the heritage, culture, history, archaeology, and other aspects of the confirmation, protection, preservation and transmission, thereby to universal education and protection. However, Microsoft can do is limited technical support. They hope that through this support, the Government, civil society and various related institutions attract to this subject, so that more people participate in heritage conservation and education work.

China five thousand years of history, but by time and space limitations, can be understood and recorded stuff is still very limited.

Use the "eHeritage" high-tech means to shorten the time and distance, let the public image and feel the long historical and cultural information is very important. August 24, 2008 the capital Museum ' China memory — 5000 years civilization heritage ' exhibition, so that people can see precious cultural heritage. But overall, its popularity and educational or limited. And use the "eHeritage" leading-edge technology tools and research methods, you can visually and easily demonstrate the rich cultural heritage. If the previous form is the Museum of Antiquities Collections and protected, the song of Roland and her team would like to do is to let more people see and experience the cultural heritage of the vipers.

"EHeritage" application and extension

Microsoft Research Asia "eHeritage", in combination with the cultural heritage of the way there are two main.

One is directly to the application of research results to the cultural heritage protection, rehabilitation and education projects; one is and cultural heritage of the "eHeritage", that is to say, and scientific research institutions, provide related support services.

Surface texture modeling technology.

This technique can be done by way of computer modeling, jade, porcelain, silk and other relics of surface texture realistically reproduced. Achieve recovery results, from any point of observation, compared to the Museum from the inside to see objects in the mirror on the back of the form will be more flexible, stereo. This technique also and more real-life case studies, such as the forbidden city, Dunhuang grottoes, Suzhou gardens etc.

Another technique is concentric puzzle, virtual tour of terracotta warriors and horses.

This technology is a Microsoft Research Asia ex-Dean of research and development to the Ocean Dr, it effectively solves the image-based rendering data complexity is not easy to capture. Because of its technology has been very mature, can easily be applied to different projects, with a big space for development.

The third technique is to use n

atural language processing, artificial intelligence, and other technologies have the computer "for" couplet. As long as the user out of a joint, the computer automatically calculates the lower line, and finally you can also write "a" the finishing touch of rhyming line. This project uses the Institute over the past few years a number of basic research technology, users can conveniently via the Internet, cell phones, and other forms of computer "for" couplet. Because of its easy operation on the Web, interactive, and is free of charge, we can say that is couplet culture of our country a success.

In the cultural heritage of the "eHeritage", the song of Roland and her team are mainly based on the cooperation with scientific research institutions to carry out projects together.

For example, with the cooperation of the Film Academy school of animation film in Chinese ink painting animation, Lotus, insects, birds, pool etc, it put the Chinese traditional culture entirely comics. Both instructive and let people look beautiful. This project is Microsoft Visual Computing and network graphics technology and film school culture and art of the perfect combination.

The "Digital Museum" is the Olympic Games and Beijing University cooperation project.

It is the Chinese from antiquity to the sports history information together on the Internet, with a very intuitive way. This form allows you to Olympic history and cultural heritage information for digital capture, manage, and permanently saved. Freed entities necessary architectural museums, exhibits, and other conditions of the teeth, but never closed.

Digital Olympics Bo

From Museum

History of Tokyo University pool grams (Katsushi Ikeuchi) Professor is Microsoft eHeritage, another important partner.

Pool g history professors in the past 10 years has been committed to using digital means to save Cambodia Angkor Israeli Rong Temple (Bayon). Targeting Rong Temple of structural complexity, pool-history professor and his laboratory developed for large-scale sites with a variety of data acquisition equipment, such as through a hydrogen balloon rises into the air for acquisition. in order to make the BA Rong Temple and reproduce the digital modeling work, Microsoft provides a massive parallel computing systems, hundreds of computers together, on the acquisition of very large scale data for processing. It's error can control to 1 cm. In this way, the pool, Professor of the history of the adoption of Microsoft's technology successfully finished his work.

Development concept

The "eHeritage" future prospects, the song of Roland said, first of all, we will take advantage of Microsoft's "seed money" (Microsoft Research Asia assessment for each through the financial support of the project, as well as the theme project for official and Microsoft Headquarters assistance), to continue to look for some typical, operation with difficult and influential legacy project to cooperation.

Want to be able to use the "seed money" to do the research of the heritage professionals, do some low-cost system tools, and work together online. Help underdeveloped regions and not affected by the professional training of people, enabling them to collect data, process data, to reproduce the data graphic, make it through the Internet to be able to see these results.

Secondly, we also do some thematic seminars.

For example, 1 July 2008 and 2 April, the invitation from the Asia-Pacific region specialized 歆 do research of dozens of heritage experts came to Beijing, everyone around the development of the "eHeritage" made a wonderful speech and extensive communication, meeting a great success. As a platform to Exchange, share, and we will each year around a different theme seminars, allowing the entire Asia-Pacific region engaged in the same theme or topic ofpeers, to regular communication, sharing in the "eHeritage achievements".

Once again, in view of the cultural heritage of the rich information and precious value of uniqueness and the environment posed by complex features, "eHeritage" need based on the true heritage or cultural heritage protection case.

Therefore, we actively seek and cultural heritage sites, museums, on the other hand also hope to serve as bridges for the Asia-Pacific region, the academic community to participate in the study of the experts bring more opportunities. Currently, we are working with the Institute of Taiwan National Palace Museum, Beijing Institute of the National Palace Museum and the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage training and Research Center to explore opportunities for research collaboration.

[Post-compilation] song of Roland, incumbent Vice President of Microsoft Research Asia, and the Asia-Pacific region's universities, research institutions and academic and government research cooperation.

1994 in the United States Seattle joined Microsoft as a systems engineer, after going to Tokyo for Microsoft in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries and regions of commercial application systems development. After 19 years living overseas, the song of Roland in August 2004 back to Beijing as Microsoft Research Asia University Relations Director, responsible for the entire Asian region of cooperation and academic exchanges.