Protagonists of their own Discovery: Engaging the European Public with Florentine Heritage

Abstract. Common diagnostic imaging technologies (like thermography, radiography, ground penetrating radar, high resolution 3d mapping) have a largely untapped potential to inform the public understanding and interpretation of historic sites. In historic places of constant use, the resulting compounded architectural tectonics resulting from continuous change over time can be difficult to interpret, even for experts. This paper incorporates several highly visible use cases within Florence, Italy to demonstrate the potential for data gathered from diagnostic imaging to be overlaid within a publicly available augmented reality experience to create useful tools for heritage communication and engagement within the hidden layers of a built environment. We provide methodologies for the translation of several key data types into interactive media and elaborate upon the state of the art concerning interactive location-based augmented reality toolkits and platforms within the context of cultural heritage communication.