By collecting images of heritage assets from members of the public and processing them to create 3D-reconstructed models, the HeritageTogether project has accomplished the digital recording of nearly 80 sites across Wales, UK. A large amount of data has been collected and produced in the form of photographs, 3D models, maps, condition reports, and more. Here we discuss some of the different methods used to realize the potential of this data in different formats and for different purposes. The data are explored in both virtual and tangible settings, and—with the use of a touch table—a combination of both. We examine some alternative representations of this community-produced heritage data for educational, research, and public engagement applications.

Analysts wish to explore different hypotheses, organize their thoughts into visual narratives and present their findings. Some developers have used algorithms to ascertain key events from their data, while others have visualized different states of their exploration and utilized free-form canvases to enable the users to develop their thoughts. What is required is a visual layout strategy that summarizes specific events and allows users to layout the story in a structured way. We propose the use of the concept of ‘storyboarding’ for visual analytics. In film production, storyboarding techniques enable film directors and those working on the film to pre-visualize the shots and evaluate potential problems. We present six principles of storyboarding for visual analytics: composition, viewpoints, transition, annotability, interactivity and separability. We use these principles to develop epSpread, which we apply to VAST Challenge 2011 microblogging data set and to Twitter data from the 2012 Olympic Games. We present technical challenges and design decisions for developing the epSpread storyboarding visual analytics tool that demonstrate the effectiveness of our design and discuss lessons learnt with the storyboarding method.

We have designed and developed a virtual environment to train rugby ball passing skills. Seeking to validate the system's ability to correctly aid training, an initial experiment was performed to examine the effect of stereoscopic technology and the physical screen's setup on the user's ability to perceive virtual distances correctly. Four participants with at least 10 years' experience of playing local-level rugby took part in the experiment to compare the combinations of different user positions compared to the physical screen, the use of stereoscopic presentation and the use of a floor screen to extend the field of view of the virtual scene. Conversely to what was expected, the participants did not respond well to perceived distance and these variables had little effect on the distance thrown.

Karl, R., Roberts, J., Wilson, A., M?ller, K., Miles, H. C., Edwards, B., Tiddeman, B., Labrosse, F., Trobe-Bateman, E. L. (2014). Picture This! Community-Led Production of Alternative Views of the Heritage of Gwynedd. Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage, 1 (1), 23-36 Embargoed until 29/02/2016The digital camera has become ubiquitous. Every mobile phone has one built in, almost everyone has a mobile phone, and people use them constantly for all kinds of things, including taking pictures. In a new collaborative project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Bangor, Aberystwyth and Manchester Metropolitan Universities have teamed up with Gwynedd Archaeological Trust to develop tools to allow communities to picture their heritage and upload the images to an automated photogrammetry server to create metrical 3D models of the sites and objects they are recording. The data created will then feed into the local Historic Environment Record, providing a valuable tool for monitoring changes to heritage sites, while providing communities with added information and alternative views of their heritage. This paper is not intended to provide a formal research design or a fully developed prototype. Rather, it is intended to outline an experimental and collaborative approach that is situated as both practice and research, with neither enterprise being privileged over the other. The activities outlined here will be developed and evaluated over the next year and a half, after which we will report on whether or how the contingent aims and outcomes expressed were realized.Peer reviewe