Cultural Heritage Documentation: The Case Study of the Ottoman Bath in Apollonia, Greece

This paper presents a cutting-edge application, namely, “Mergin’Mode” (https://merginmode.com/), on the basis of its first pilot implementation which took place within a project aiming at the accurate visual documentation and innovative reconstruction of a specific cultural heritage building. Prior to this, it presents the primary mapping techniques and provides a comparative analysis and a benchmarking based on features that are considered critical in the cases of Cultural Heritage (CH) sites digital documentation. The ability of “Mergin’Mode” to represent monuments by merging their actual image with a detailed and accurate virtual reconstruction of their initial condition, overlaid with the use of Mixed Reality (MR) is demonstrated. Moreover, the archeological characteristics of the specific site, as well as background information on the technologies employed and the documentation protocols are provided. The application, which relies on Geoinformation technologies, is able to provide stunning on-site MR experiences by combining state-of-the-art digital recording technologies (mainly Photogrammetry and laser scanning), as well as input from archeologists and other specialists. More specifically the case study presented, regards the reconstruction and representation of an Ottoman Bath in Apollonia, Greece. The paper begins with the provision of background knowledge and context, giving a description of the technical processes involved in the pilot implementation of “Mergin’Mode”. The architecture of “Mergin’Mode”, i.e., its components and the characteristics of its authoring tool are described, thereby outlining the applications’ vast ability to adapt, expand and provide meaningful, exhilarating, and informative experiences to on-site (or remote) visitors. “Mergin’Mode” is presented as an example of a cutting-edge application that brings to life archeological sites fusing the actual with the virtual, the present and the past, by incorporating diverse interaction modalities, multimodal content, dynamic input with the use of Geoinformatics, thus adding value to the experience of CH sites’ visitors.