ArchAIDE was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (€2.460.376,75) to create a new system for the automatic recognition of archaeological pottery from excavations around the world. It started on June 2016 and ended in May 2019.
The ArchAIDE project developed a new app that aimed to change the global practice of archaeology, using the latest automatic image recognition technology.
ArchAIDE supports the classification and interpretation work of archaeologists (during both fieldwork and post-excavation analysis) with an innovative app designed for tablets and smartphones, designed to be an essential tool for archaeologists. Ceramic fragments will be photographed, their characteristics sent to a comparative collection, which activates the automatic object recognition system, resulting in a response with all relevant information linked, and ultimately stored, within a database that allows each new discovery to be shared online.
The objectives of the project were achieved through the development of:
- an as-automatic-as-possible procedure to transform paper catalogues into a digital description, to be used as a comparative collection for the search and retrieval process;
- an app (mainly designed for mobile devices) that will support archaeologists in recognising potsherds, through an easy-to-use interface using efficient algorithms for characterisation, search and retrieval of the visual/geometrical correspondences;
- an automatic procedure to derive the potsherd’s description by transforming the data collected into a formatted electronic document, in print or on-screen;
- a web-based real-time data visualisation to improve access to archaeological heritage and generate new understanding;
- an open archive to allow the use and re-use of archaeological data, transforming it into a common heritage.
The project involved more than 35 researchers, computer scientists, designers, and video makers from nine universities, public research centres and private companies from 5 countries (Italy, Germany, Israel, Spain, United Kingdom).