Semantic models and services for conservation and restoration of cultural heritage: a comprehensive survey

Tracking #: 3105-4319

Authors: 
Efthymia Moraitou
Yannis Christodoulou
George Caridakis

Responsible editor: 
Special Issue Cultural Heritage 2021

Submission type: 
Survey Article
Abstract: 
Over the last decade, the Cultural Heritage (CH) domain has gradually adopted Semantic Web (SW) technologies for organizing information and for tackling interoperability issues. Several semantic models have been proposed which accommodate essential aspects of information management: retrieval, integration, reuse and sharing. In this context, the CH subdomain of Conservation and Restoration (CnR) exhibits an increasing interest in SW technologies, in an attempt to effectively handle the highly heterogeneous and often secluded CnR information. This paper investigates semantic models relevant to the CnR knowledge domain. The scope, development methodology and coverage of CnR aspects are described and discussed. Further-more, the evaluation, deployment and current exploitation of each model are examined, with focus on the types and variety of services provided to support the CnR professional. Through this study, the following research questions are investigated: To what extent the various aspects of CnR are covered by existing CnR models? To what extent existing CnR models incorporate models of the broader CH domain and of relevant disciplines (e.g., Chemistry)? In what ways and to what extent services built upon the reviewed models facilitate CnR professionals in their various tasks? Finally, based on the findings, fields of interest that merit further investigation are suggested.
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Decision/Status: 
Accept

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Review #1
Anonymous submitted on 28/Apr/2022
Suggestion:
Accept
Review Comment:

Review of
swj3105
Semantic models and services for conservation and restoration of cultural heritage: a comprehensive survey
by Efthymia Moraitou, Yannis Christodoulou and George Caridakis
re-submitted after swj2900, swj2817, and swj2647

This paper is the third resubmission of a work that surveys sixteen projects of Semantic Web approaches to Conservation and Restoration (CnR). It addresses their coverage, the re-use of existing models, their deployment, and aims at promoting the creation of an encompassing model to support decision making.
The paper briefly summarizes the scopes concerning CnR, namely administration, materials & technology, alteration, investigation, intervention, and, after mentioning some general models (that curiously include ArCo, which seems not to in use in any CnR model afterwards). Then, it lists subsections, each describing one of the 16 models. Presentations are consistent, more or less balanced, and likely comprehensive (at least to my knowledge).

The survey is oriented to researchers and practitioners in the CnR field, with an interest in SW models.
The presentation is clear, and suitable for an audience who has a general interest into the Cultural heritage domain.
Probably some performance aspects of the deployments could have been of some interest for the broader Semantic Web community.

The authors do not include an electronic resource for having an easy access to the metadata of the several models. This would have been useful to the interested readers.

A word-level revision should be carried out before publication. There are some repetitions and some ungrammatical constructions. Check the two examples here, respectively.

"The expert conducts investigation during the first stage of the CnR process but also in later stages for =conducting= risk evaluation and for identifying the appropriate solutions."
>
The expert conducts investigation during the first stage of the CnR process but also in later stages for =assessing= risk evaluation and for identifying the appropriate solutions.

"provide the relations necessary to correlate an intervention"
>
"provide the relations that are necessary to correlate an intervention"