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Digital Imaging & the Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage

The International Department at Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College (JMC) and The Jerusalem Institute for the Study and Digital Documentation of Cultural Heritage Present

Digital Imaging & the Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage

(An online digital course)

October 2025

Course Leader: Dr. Doron Altaratz

Click here to register for this course

 

About the Course

From the secrets embedded within surface textures to the hidden worlds lurking beneath the surface, the huge advances that we are witnessing in digitization technologies over the past decades are opening the door to conservation, preservation, restoration, and dissemination of our tangible cultural heritage on an unprecedented scale. New documentation methods give us today the opportunity, not only to experience the beauty and value of these cultural assets but to share and distribute them globally.


Digital imaging technologies are exploring and uncovering new frontiers in virtually all fields of heritage research. From the coverage of vast areas by space and air, down to inspection on a microscopic level. All these and more will be reviewed, explained, and discussed in this exciting course, offered online.


The course will present an overview of the various techniques available to heritage practitioners today and provide a basic and practical understanding of the tools that will enable them to become active partners in the international effort to document and preserve local heritage.

Each weekly session will be presented by a different international expert, spanning the technical, theoretical, and applied aspects of heritage imaging and preservation.
Various case studies will be presented, illustrating the practical application of the technologies in both the field and the laboratory.

Participation is open to students and non-students alike. For students wishing to earn academic credit for this course, it will carry an accreditation of 4.5 ECTS.

The course will consist of 14 weekly online lectures of approximately two academic hours each, followed by a question and discussion period.

Click here to register for this course

Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn the new capabilities and responsibilities of cultural heritage custodians
  • Understanding the role of imaging in the conservation of museum collections 
  • Issues in conservation and public outreach
  • Understanding FAIR, BIG, and reliable data of heritage documentation
  • Grasp the emerging role of virtual and augmented reality in heritage conservation
  • How to share heritage in the digital age

Course Topics: 

  • Heritage Preservation Technologies
  • Digital Technologies in heritage conservation - Overview
  • Visualization for Architectural Design
  • Imaging techniques in Archaeology
  • Multispectral Imaging in art conservation
  • Photogrammetry applications for Cultural Heritage
  • Laser scanning of Urban Landscapes
  • Conservation of digital photographic prints
  • Reflectance Transformation Imaging
  • Imaging techniques in Paper Conservation
  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), three-dimensional (3D), and computed tomography (CT) in Paleontology
  • Realtime, Online Interactive 3D

 

Course Lead and Lecture Content (Tentative)

Dr. Doron Altaratz  
Senior Lecturer, Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College (JMC)

Guest Lecture Topics:
Digital Heritage Preservation: An Overview  
The Future of Cultural Heritage Virtualization 
The Role of Imaging in the Conservation of Museum Collections
Multispectral Imaging, Low Cost
Heritage Digital Twins
The Application of Advances Imaging Technologies in Archaeology
The Dance of the Doppelgängers, AI and the Cultural Heritage Sector
Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation
Digital Preservation and Access: Photography Past, Present, and Future
Reflectance Transformation Imaging for Cultural Heritage
Architectural Design for Visualizing Uncertainty in Knowledge 
The Photogrammetric Documentation Process at Excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority
Cultural Databases and 3D Interactive Models
Share & Use - Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age 

 

Reflectance Transformation Imaging of Cylinder Seal Photo: Michael Magen / Moshe Caine, Courtesy of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem High resolution RTI stone inscriptions. St. Helena Chapel, Jerusalem Construction of Photogrammetric Model (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem) Photogrammetric model with cross-cut of topography Multispectral Pigment Analysis (A. Cosentino) 3D Structure from Motion (Cuneiform Tablet) Infrared visualization of fragment from Dead Sea Scrolls Photo: Moshe Caine, Courtesy of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Reflectance Transformation Imaging of Cylinder Seal Photo: Michael Magen / Moshe Caine, Courtesy of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
High resolution RTI stone inscriptions. St. Helena Chapel, Jerusalem
Construction of Photogrammetric Model (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem)
Photogrammetric model with cross-cut of topography
Multispectral Pigment Analysis (A. Cosentino)
3D Structure from Motion (Cuneiform Tablet)
Infrared visualization of fragment from Dead Sea Scrolls Photo: Moshe Caine, Courtesy of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Reflectance Transformation Imaging of Cylinder Seal Photo: Michael Magen / Moshe Caine, Courtesy of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem High resolution RTI stone inscriptions. St. Helena Chapel, Jerusalem Construction of Photogrammetric Model (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem) Photogrammetric model with cross-cut of topography Multispectral Pigment Analysis (A. Cosentino) 3D Structure from Motion (Cuneiform Tablet) Infrared visualization of fragment from Dead Sea Scrolls Photo: Moshe Caine, Courtesy of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem