The University Court of the University of St. Andrews
The University of St Andrews is Scotland’s first university with a long history of excellent research. The Open Virtual Worlds group within the School of Computer Science is a multidisciplinary group focussed on the application of digital technologies for the preservation and promotion of both cultural and natural heritage. Never have there been so many opportunities and so many challenges facing heritage and the digital sector. We work with immersive and mobile technologies to discover how to create engaging interactive experiences and use VR, AR and AI to engage with heritage to promote sustainable development and Climate Action. We are involved with several research and professional organisations including Europeana and the Network for European Museum Organisations (NEMO). Our work includes digitising collections, building virtual museums, creating environments for VR, applying artificial intelligence practices, and developing policy for sustainable heritage organisations and communities.
The University Court of the University of St. AndrewsCULTURALITY TEAM
Alan Miller
Lecturer in the School of computer science at the University of St Andrews since 2001. I have interests in Digital Cultural Heritage, Open Virtual Worlds, immersive technologies, user Quality of Experience and network measurement.
Currently having fun working with Museums and arts centers in Scotland helping recreate Scottish History, including 1889, St Kilda, the Caen Highland Village, Eyemouth Fort and Shetland Fishing Station.
Catherine Anne Cassidy
Catherine Anne Cassidy is a Research Fellow in the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews, Scotland and holds a PhD in Computer Science and a Masters in Museum and Gallery Studies (dist). She brings an interdisciplinary approach to the research group Open Virtual Worlds, which employs emergent technologies to create engaging interactive experiences for cultural and natural heritage organisations. Her doctoral research included developing approaches to 3D digitisation that allows the value of digital heritage to be recognised while strengthening connections between heritage, its community and the museum through emergent technologies and their democratisation.
Sharon Pisani
Sharon Pisani is a PhD researcher in the School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews. Her research is at the intersection of arts and sciences. With a background in literature and art, she has branched out to work in the interpretation of art and heritage in a digital world. She started her PhD in 2022 with a focus on how digital technologies, especially immersive and mobile technologies, can be utilised in the creation of digital cultural landscapes, recording heritage, and recreating contexts in the digital medium. She has worked with 3D scanning, 3D modelling, mixed reality, emergent media, and web technologies. Her work contributes to questions relating to cultural heritage, community work, language preservation, and sustainable development.
Iain Oliver
Iain Oliver has been involved in the use of Virtual World technologies for Cultural Heritage for over 10 years. He is a member of the Open Virtual Worlds (OVW) research group at the University of St Andrews. He has developed a Virtual Museum archive system used and developed in several projects including Culturality.
