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The TimeScope
1 system consists of a video camera, a computer system, two monitors,
and a touch screen. A specially designed on-site kiosk houses the
system and protects visitors from the elements. The video camera is
directed toward a particular section of the archaeological remains
(for instance the visible foundations of the Saint Salvator church)
and it transmits real-time video images of those remains to the monitor
screens in the kiosk.
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Through the use
of a series of touch screen icons on the main monitor screen, visitors
can view computer reconstructions of the successive sctructures that
stood on that spot, superimposed precisely on their excavated foundations.
In this way, the TimeScope 1 system helps visitors to understand the
labyrinth of the archaeological remains at a site-- and to visualize
how the original structures might have appeared when standing.
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By using real-time images of the archaeological remains as a background
for the reconstructions and multimedia presentations, the TimeScope
1 system offers visitors a sense of immediacy and realism in which
the actual weather, sky conditions, and angle of sunlight at the time
of their visit serve as a background for the virtual reconstructions.
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The touch screen
also allows visitors to select programmes dealing with various historical
subjects and offering other perspectives of the virtual reconstruction.
For example, when a structure from a certain period has been 'built'
over its visible foundations, viewers can explore its interior rooms
and furnishings. In this way, a multimedia presentation with photos,
plans, drawings and animated virtual images describing the evolution
of the site and its buildings, is shown on the same screen.
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