HyperGuide: a context-aware semantically interoperable multimedia application for the fruition of cultural heritage

In this paper we present a semantically interoperable software application, codenamed HyperGuide, for supporting the fruition of cultural heritage through proposition of context-aware multimedia content. Semantic languages have been used to achieve semantic interoperability for data and for some subsystems. The application was designed and developed at the CRIAI research lab in Portici (Naples), Italy within a research program funded by the Italian Education, University and Research Ministry. The program is currently entering its experimental phase when the application is being adopted in one of the archeological sites of the Soprintendenza archeologica of Pompei. In HyperGuide context is a multi-dimensional entity which refers to three aspects: the user’s profile, the user’s device capabilities, and the user’s real-time geographical position. Multimedia content is described and stored through standard ontologies and languages. The paradigm of device independence is exploited to provide a standard description of the device’s capabilities while the user’s preferences are captured through a lightweight registration process. When the user accesses the system, his/her position is determined through a finegrained indoor and outdoor location system. At this point, multimedia content is retrieved and content presentation is automatically adapted based on the context.