Parks Canada - virtual reality in the service of archaeology

I ran across this interesting web page on my net surfing today:
Parks Canada - virtual reality in the service of archaeology


A need

The complex nature of archaeological sites creates a challenge when recording and communicating certain aspects of a heritage place's archaeological resources. Virtual 3D technology offers a way to keep a virtual record of archaeological sites that will be lost or compromised, and to communicate and illustrate what we've learned about an archaeological site.

Among others, these two projects at Parks Canada demonstrate the usefulness of Virtual 3D technology.

Saint-Louis Forts and Châteaux

Parks Canada archaeologists excavated some 1,500 m2 of ground beneath the Dufferin Terrace in Quebec City, uncovering in the process the remains of the Saint-Louis Forts and the old Château Saint-Louis. These digs unearthed such a tangled collection of remains that it is proving difficult to make the archaeological information understandable and explain it clearly to visitors and the general public. Virtual 3D reconstruction techniques were considered a possible tool for communicating this new information more easily.

Fort Conger

Fort Conger, Quttinirpaaq National Park, northeastern Ellesmere Island -a site featuring remains of British and American exploration camps dating to the late 19th century as well as 20th-century- is now under stress from both natural and cultural elements."