VR as work tool for architectural & archaeological restoration: the ancient Appian way 3D web virtual GIS

Between 1998 and 1999 the Archeological Superintendence of Rome restored eight small Roman tombs along the ancient Appian Way. We discuss the challenges of built heritage documentation and visual, knowledge representation and our development of a digital toolkit to record, organize, present, and visually navigate 3D architectural and archaeological data. This hypermedia 3D web-based system is designed for both public interaction at the new Archaeological Park of the Via Appia Antica (Ancient Appian Way) and to support professional archaeologists and preservationists in restoration planning and subsequent monitoring, all from a single shared database. Designed for use over the Internet with a VR browser it is also intended as a visualization and collaborative design tool and as a study aid in virtual rooms