A new mobile application developed within the n-Dame_Heritage project is introduced: dür.air, a persistent augmented reality system dedicated to interpretation-driven, in situ documentation of cultural heritage.

Dür.air — Digital unfolding of reality through augmented interpretative representation — is designed to reconnect observation, interpretation, and documentation at the very place and moment where scientific observation is produced. It provides a unified and autonomous field environment in which annotations, measurements, and observations are spatially anchored, semantically enriched, and preserved across successive field sessions through persistent augmented reality, real-time LiDAR sensing, and on-device photogrammetric reconstruction.
A beta testing programme is scheduled to start in Spring 2026, opening the platform to a first community of researchers and practitioners.

Further info

A new software environment developed within the n-Dame_Heritage project is being prepared: quasi.modo, a conceptual and technical architecture dedicated to the exploration, integration, and semantic interoperability of multidisciplinary heritage data.

Quasi.modo  - Querying and Unifying Architecture for Semantic Integration of Multidimensional Orchestrated Disciplinary Observations - is designed to support the querying, structuring, and connection of heterogeneous datasets produced around complex heritage objects. It provides a unified yet flexible framework in which 3D digitisation data, geolocated annotations, archival sources, scientific analyses, and spatialised scholarly narratives can be explored, linked, and reasoned over within coherent semantic and spatio-temporal models.
A beta testing programme is scheduled to start in Spring 2026, opening the platform to a first community of researchers and practitioners.

Further info

Several articles related to the *n-Dame_Heritage* project were published in 2025, reflecting ongoing methodological and scientific advances in documentation, semantic integration, and data-driven interpretation of the Notre-Dame de Paris corpus. Here is a selection : 

Guillem A., Abergel V., Roussel R., Comte F., Pamart A., De Luca L. Bridging the Provenance Knowledge Gap Between 3D Digitization and Semantic Interpretation. Heritage, Vol. 8(11), 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8110476

This paper proposes an integrated framework for representing the provenance, transformation steps, and interpretative contexts of 3D digitisation workflows. By embedding provenance and context into the documentation process, the authors demonstrate how semantic models can improve traceability, interoperability, and multi-temporal reuse of heterogeneous 2D, 3D, and documentary datasets, with case studies drawn from the scientific corpus of Notre-Dame de Paris. 

Arese P., Roussel R., De Luca L. Establishing a Dialogue Between Textual Sources and 3D-Spatialised Annotations: A First Experiment Within Notre-Dame’s Scientific Data Corpus. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol. XLVIII, 2025, pp. 49–56. https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLVIII-M-9-2025/49/2025/

This study addresses the methodological challenge of linking narrative historical sources with structured 3D annotations, proposing an initial framework for reconciling the precision of spatialised data with the contextual depth of textual records. It illustrates how integrated documentation can bridge semantic and geometric dimensions in heritage science.  

Roussel R., De Luca L., Guillem A., Comte F. A Cathedral of Spatialised Annotations Portraying the Multidisciplinary Study of Notre-Dame de Paris. In: Digital Heritage 2025, The Eurographics Association, 2025. https://doi.org/10.2312/dh.20253126

This contribution explores spatialised annotations as epistemic objects that embed expert activity within spatial, temporal, and semantic contexts. Using the interdisciplinary Notre-Dame worksite as a case study, the authors show how large-scale annotation frameworks can structure, visualise, and query observations across disciplinary boundaries. 

A cathedral of digital data and multidisciplinary knowledge for heritage science

Workshop organised by the "digital data" working group of Notre-Dame de Paris Scientific Project

19-21 June 2024, Auditorium Pierre Desnuelle, CNRS Joseph Aiguier Campus, Marseilles

As part of the Notre-Dame de Paris research project, interaction between different disciplines has been crucial to enriching our understanding of a complex heritage object, while renewing our thinking on collaborative methods in the digital age.

The 'digital data' working group's approach to computational modelling and digitisation takes advantage of this wide-ranging scientific project, bringing together specialists from a variety of fields (archaeology, anthropology, architecture, history, chemistry, physics, computing) to develop a body of data that reflects current scientific practice in the study of heritage.

Following thematic paths from the material object to its digitisation, and then from data to multidisciplinary knowledge, these study days are structured around sessions presenting the advances made by the members of the 'digital data' working group and round tables to discuss the issues relating to these advances with the representatives of the other working groups of the scientific site (wood, stone, structure, acoustics, decoration, heritage emotions, etc.). The aim of this structure is to encourage a rich, interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, enabling in-depth discussions on the methodologies, results obtained and prospects to be developed in the coming years as part of the nDame_Heritage ERC project.

Although focused on data from Notre-Dame de Paris, this event aims to extend its reflections and methodologies to the wider field of heritage science. Our aim is to lay the foundations for understanding and managing scientific data for the purposes of heritage knowledge, conservation and restoration.

The workshop is open to the public, with registration necessary to attend in person or by videoconference.

https://ndame2024.sciencesconf.org

A special issue of the Journal of Cultural Heritage (Vol. 65, 2024) is dedicated to the CNRS / French Ministry of Culture scientific programme on Notre-Dame de Paris, reflecting the unprecedented interdisciplinary research effort initiated after the 2019 fire.

Entitled “The Notre-Dame de Paris : a multidisciplinary scientific site”, this issue presents the first collective synthesis of the nine thematic working groups involved in the project (wood, stone, metal, glass, structure, monumental decoration, acoustics, digital data, and heritage emotions). It documents the methodologies, observations, and initial results obtained across a wide range of disciplines, from material sciences and structural engineering to archaeology, digital humanities, acoustics, and social sciences.

The volume highlights the holistic and multi-temporal approach adopted for the study and conservation of the cathedral, as well as the development of new digital and analytical frameworks for the integration, interpretation, and long-term preservation of heterogeneous scientific data. It provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges raised by such a large-scale heritage crisis and of the scientific responses deployed within an exceptional collaborative and institutional context.

Special Issue: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-cultural-heritage/vol/65/

ntroductory article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2024.02.004

The ERC n-Dame_Heritage Project and its host institution CNRS are inviting applications for seven open positions:

Click on each position below for further details and instructions on how to apply.

Two years (renewable up to four years) researcher position in Digital Humanities

Knowledge formalisation, data curation and analysis in cultural heritage

Two-years (renewable up to four years) researcher position in Computer Science. 

Knowledge engineering, machine learning, multimedia content classification and retrieval

Two-years (renewable up to four years) research engineer position in Computer Science. 

Full stack development, Cloud computing, Web services

Three-Years PhD student position in Data Science for Cultural Heritage

n-Dimensional analysis and exploration of heritage science data in mixed reality

Two-years (renewable up to four years) study engineer position on multimodal 3D digitisation

Laser scanning,photogrammetry, RTI, geometric and visual processing applied to architecture and remains

Two-years (renewable up to 4 years) study engineer position on digital curation of heritage science data

Data collection, Data curation, FAIR principles, heritage science.

Two-years (renewable up to 4 years) study engineer position on semantic annotation of heritage data

Semantic annotation of heterogeneous data (text, images, videos, 3D models, …)

Application deadline: June 22, 2022. Extended deadline : June 30, 2022. Interviews (only for selected candidates) : July2022 

Contracts are expected to start between October and December 2022. 

Candidates can apply for several positions, depending on their education and skills. Nevertheless, each application should be considered as a unique context and the cover letter should be targeted according to the specific activities of each job offer.