Research Policy and Directions

The pattern of development is the product of a complex interplay of different forces. These include the increase in performance and availability of new technologies; public policy and the consequent availability of funding for projects in public institutions; and the perception within the memory institutions themselves of the needs (and opportunities) for ways of delivering services in a better or more cost-effective way. The development and availability of improved technologies for cultural heritage is itself the result of a similar set of factors, and is heavily influenced by the direction of public policy. By definition, the heritage sector is dealing with some of the most beautiful, profound and valuable products of humanity, which stretch the capacity of digital technologies to the limit and beyond. As previous chapters have shown, the requirements are particularly demanding in terms of quality of data capture image definition and colour accuracy), the required persistence of information, tools for its interpretation and sharing, its transmission over the Web, and the quality of its display. However, the cultural heritage sector does not undertake basic scientific research and very rarely develops new technologies. Instead, it is typically involved in applications research and the development of new tools, applications and services that are based on technologies developed elsewhere for other purposes. Museums, memory institutions and heritage organisations are dependent on research policy decisions, which underpin both the development of basic imaging, knowledge, network and display technologies as well as their applications for cultural purposes.