A short (one-half page) abstract of the thematic session topic stressing its importance and its relation to the ISPRS missions:
The rise of large-scale foundation models, trained on billions of parameters and massive multimodal datasets, has reshaped the paradigms of many industries, opening transformative opportunities for cultural heritage conservation, visualization, and virtual restoration. However, heritage-specific foundation models face unique challenges: highly sparse and diverse datasets, strict requirements for precision and tolerance (often at millimeter level), and a lack of standardized multimodal semantic alignment.
This thematic session aims to address these critical gaps by exploring frameworks for building cultural heritage-oriented large models, from establishing robust, semantically rich, cross-modal datasets to developing intelligent annotation methods at the component level of heritage assets. It will discuss the knowledge fusion strategies needed to align data sources including text, images, 3D point clouds, drawings, multimedia, and sensor data, ensuring high-quality, multi-perspective, multidisciplinary annotation.
Moreover, the session will highlight how foundation models can integrate domain-specific knowledge from structural systems, material sciences, historical archives, and conservation practice, thus serving as a powerful tool for heritage protection, risk assessment, and public engagement. Aligned with the ISPRS mission, this session will connect experts pioneering these data-centric and AI-enhanced approaches, promoting synergy between spatial information science, digital humanities, and cultural heritage disciplines.
The name and CV of the applicants (the proposed Thematic Session Chairs)
Name: Professor Miaole Hou
Affiliation: School of Surveying and Urban Spatial Information Sciences, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture
Professor Miaole Hou is a leading scholar in the field of spatio-temporal information sciences, currently serving as Co-Chair of ISPRS Working Group IV/11. She earned her PhD in Geodesy and Surveying Engineering from China University of Mining and Technology in 2005, following her Master’s degree in 2001 and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics in 1997. Since 2013, she has been a professor at Beijing University of Architecture, where she also worked as Associate Professor and Lecturer from 2005 to 2012. She was a visiting Associate Professor at the University of Washington from 2012 to 2013. Professor Hou has made significant contributions to integrating GIS, visualization, and spatial information sciences for cultural heritage protection, demonstrating strong leadership and a commitment to advancing interdisciplinary applications of spatial technologies.
Name: Professor Grazia Tucci
Affiliation: Geomatics for Environment and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (GeCO Lab), Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence
Professor Grazia Tucci holds a PhD in Geodetic and Topographical Sciences and is a full professor of Geomatics at the University of Florence, where she founded and leads the GECO Lab. Her work focuses on documentation, conservation, and enhancement of cultural heritage through innovative spatial and geomatics technologies. Professor Tucci coordinates Spoke 7 of the CHANGES partnership funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and is on the board of the National Doctorate in Heritage Science in Italy. She has led major documentation and enhancement projects worldwide, including contributions for UNESCO and Expo 2020 Dubai. As Vice President of CIPA-HD and Chair of ISPRS WG IV/11, she actively promotes interdisciplinary and international collaboration in heritage documentation. She has published over 250 academic works and is a highly respected voice in the global geomatics and heritage community.
Name: Professor Mario Santana Quintero
Affiliation: Carleton University
Professor Mario Santana Quintero is a distinguished expert in digital documentation for heritage conservation, cross-appointed at Carleton University’s Faculty of Engineering and Design and the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism. As a faculty member of the Carleton Immersive Media Studio Lab (CIMS), he has worked globally on heritage documentation initiatives for The Getty Conservation Institute, UNESCO, and other international agencies. Formerly Secretary-General of ICOMOS and treasurer of ICOMOS Canada, Professor Santana also served as Honorary President of CIPA. His research focuses on advanced spatial documentation methods and immersive media to safeguard heritage. He was awarded a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Liège and is recognized as a College of Fellows member of the Association of Preservation Technology. His long-standing commitment to global heritage conservation, interdisciplinary practice, and training makes him a key contributor to this thematic session.