You walk through a dusty town in Boeotia, Greece. A man on a donkey passes you. A boy has broken a water jug. The shards are next to the well. Market vendors sell their wares. A woman pitted olives. No car, no smart phone in sight – you are back in time, in a virtual world.
The above could well be part of a history lesson in the not too distant future. The European Commission is sponsoring a new large-scale project called Collective Experience of Empathic Data Systems (CEEDS) is called. CEEDS is a virtual reality-based system that is primarily developed as a tool to analyze complex data collections. However, the system can also be used to 'bring to life' the data obtained from an excavation in a digital presentation, for example.
Make connections
Archaeologists, as well as other scientists, are grappling with a general problem:there is far too much data available. At first sight, many databases with data are mainly a rather cluttered mush of numbers. In all that data chaos, it is often not easy to make new discoveries.
This is why CEEDS is being developed. By using the possibilities offered by virtual reality, it is possible to visualize all that data. By literally 'walking around' in the data, the researchers think it is easier to analyze their data and make connections that they would overlook in a number of figures.
Researchers who 'walk around' through the data are also connected to all kinds of sensors that can register signals from the subconscious. For example, by measuring brain activity, heart rate and breathing. According to the scientists, the subconscious is often much better able to find new relationships and connections. When a researcher 'walks around' through his data and the sensors detect an increased activity in his or her subconscious, that can be a reason to take a closer look at a specific area.
Ancient Greek cities
One of the archaeologists participating in the project is Dr Chiara Piccoli from Leiden University. According to Piccoli, who specializes in the virtual reconstruction of ancient Greek cities, CEEDS serves an important scientific and educational purpose:“Thanks to the technologies CEEDS provides us, we understand our data better. In addition, we can show the general public what we have found in a very accessible way. Being able to empathize with history makes them more aware, both of the local heritage and of what archaeologists actually do.”