The Digital Production Line: a Dutch It Research Programme for the Benefit of the Cultural Heritage Sector

A consortium, consisting of seven IT-research institutions, the five leading cultural heritage institutions and a number of commercial parties in the Netherlands, has submitted an IT research programme for the digitised cultural heritage, called the Digital Production Line (DPL). Although the partners in the consortium have different points of view on the cultural heritage domain, their common motivation is to develop " new methods and techniques in the domain of multimedia and agent technology to support the cultural heritage sector effectively in their interaction with (among others) researchers and the general public. " The three main objectives of the DPL programme are: To increase the efficacy and efficiency of digital access to Dutch cultural heritage for research, education, and the general public (including tourism). To reinforce the knowledge infrastructure of IT researchers, the cultural heritage sector, and relevant companies. To improve the international position of Dutch researchers within the interdisciplinary research field of IT and humanities. An additional benefit of the DPL will be to open up new possibilities for the presentation and study of the cultural heritage. The DPL will take the digitised cultural heritage as its input. Five IT research lines (fundamental and applied Enhancement, form the roadmap to a futuristic Holodeck. The five IT research lines are flanked by two society-oriented research lines: Digital Durability and Intellectual Property Rights. The results of the programme will not only be of interest to the Dutch cultural heritage and IT world, but will be sufficiently generic for the cultural heritage sector worldwide to benefit. The consortium thinks it important to concertate and cooperate with other parties, nationally and internationally, that are involved in related research.