IEEE CH Best Innovation Paper Award

September 17, 2025; Christina Warren

Congratulations to Wilhelm Kerle-Malcharek (D04), Niklas Hann-von-Weyhern, Ulf Hailer, Steffen Diefenbach, Stefan Feyer (D04), Karsten Klein (A09) and Falk Schreiber (D04, INF, MGK, Ö)! At the 2025 2025 IEEE International Conference on Cyber Humanities (IEEE CH 2025), they won a Best Innovation Paper Award for their paper "The Junction of Immersive Analytics and Virtual Reconstructions – A Case Study on the Mausoleum of Emperor Maxentius".

Abstract

Virtual Archaeology has significantly evolved over the last decades through advancements in data acquisition and representation, for example, by improved data recording technologies and virtual reality devices. Immersive environments provide novel ways to present historical events or objects with high visual quality for both the general public and researchers. Here, we examine how the emerging field of Immersive Analytics can contribute to enhancing the understanding and exploration of archaeological data and explore the junction of Virtual Archaeology and Immersive Analytics. We discuss a selection of features already used by the community and look into how optimizing those can facilitate the discourse and impression of cultural heritage objects. As an argumentational basis, we introduce and utilize three digital reconstruction interpretations of the mausoleum of the late Roman emperor Maxentius in Rome, which are based on prior scientific work and a typological embedding. Based on our work, we advocate the value of combining historical and computer science expertise to optimize immersive environments for virtual reconstructions to facilitate deeper understanding and interactive exploration of archaeological data.