Virtual reality had made headlines for being the newest tech on the market, and some agencies are hoping to cash in.
The Museum of Ontario Archaeology’s new exhibit features a virtual walk through experience of a Iroquoian longhouse, with detailed features verified by a team of experts.
While the museum believes the project will attract people of all ages to experience Canadian history, there are some who look forward to the use of this technology in the preservation of history.
Michael Carter, the Director of Industry Relations and Master of Digital Media at Ryerson University, is the mind behind the project.
Through his ability with digital mapping, public and expert input, and government grant funding, Carter was able to put together the exhibit in hopes of promoting digital archaeology.
He thinks that VR is the future of discovering human history.
“The notion is that we need to ensure that the archaeological record is maintained for generations to come,” says Carter. “Sometimes, we don’t actually have to dig up the site in order to preserve it. Maybe sometimes it better to preserve the site itself.”
Carter used that mentality and applied it to the longhouse project.
“If we have basic information of the particular site, and we have a notion of maybe how the types of people who may have lived in that particular area, I can virtually recreate that Longhouse,” Carter says. “And that will allow people, archaeologists and the public, to walk through without disturbing the archaeological record.”
He thinks that there is much to learn from using VR in this sort of capacity, and that as capabilities become more advanced, this technology will prove to be an invaluable tool in an archaeologist’s belt.
