[Archport] VAST 2008

[José Luís Meireles Batista <jmeireles@uaum.uminho.pt>]

The international support committees for VAST 2008 are working hard to make the 9th annual event and scientific program your first priority. We welcome your contributions and participation in what is shaping up to be a remarkable week in Braga this December.

Please find attached a PDF file with more detailed information.

News:

VAST2008.org website is launched. The website will continue to unfold and is being updated constantly. Visit it often for the latest news on speakers, paper and workshop submissions, sponsorship and excursions.

Invited Speakers:  we are pleased to announce keynote speakers Roberto Scopigno and Ruth Tringham, leaders in computer technologies and archaeology. Please read their bios on the VAST 2008 site.

Submission system online: through cooperation with Eurographics, the 2008 submission system is online and OPEN. Please submit your abstracts as soon as possible to help us shape the scientific program. (http://www.vast2008.org/psub.php).

Scientific Committee: the VAST 2008 Scientific Committee is comprised of a diversified, international group of specialists, researchers and leaders. We will soon announce the committee on the symposium website.

Registration fees: besides the usual promotions for Eurographics and EPOCH members, those that will help us to better plan the event will have a reduced fee ("Early Registration"), and a special "All-in-One" pass is also offered. See the details on the website.

2nd Call for Papers

We are at a unique point in history, where cultural heritage professionals must work to care for the physical past while assuring that there will be a digital record for the future.

The challenge we propose is to bring to bear the knowledge and expertise of the VAST network of researchers and professionals that will lead to sustainable practices of stewardship for the long term, for tangible, intangible and virtual heritage alike.

We see this symposium as a dialogue on the present and future of archaeology in the 21st century. The sessions, papers, tutorials and workshops will explore the wealth of opinions and expertise on this vast topic, ranging from nuts-and-bolts practical information on geographical information systems to producing non-linear narratives and multi-vocal visualizations of the past.

We are seeking contributions that advance the state of the art in the technologies available to support sustainability of human heritage.

The following topics are particularly encouraged:

·         2/3/4D Data Capture and Processing in CH

·         Augmentation of physical collections with digital presentations

·         Data Acquisition Technologies

·         Digital capture & annotation of intangible heritage (performance, audio, dance, oral)

·         Interactive Environments and Applications for CH

·         Long term preservation of digital artefacts

·         Metadata, classification schema, ontologies and semantic processing

·         Multilingual applications, tools and systems for CH

·         Multimedia Data Acquisition, Management and Archiving

·         On-site and remotely sensed data collection

·         Professional and Ethical Guidelines

·         Standards and Documentation

·         Storytelling and Design of Heritage Communications

·         Tools for Education and Training in CH

·         Usability, Effectiveness and Interface Design for CH Applications

·         Visualization