Learning Sites Inc. designs and develops interactive three-dimensional digital models that are based on actual archaeological evidence and that are reconstructed with an accuracy and sensitivity to known details that reflect the highest standards of scholarship. They integrate archaeological data with advanced computer graphics techniques to further education, data analysis, and the preservation of cultural heritage information. Their vision is to create a globally integrated and interactive system of linked virtual worlds that can be used for teaching, research, archaeological fieldwork, museum exhibitions, and even tourism. LEARNING SITES is currently developing methods for accurately recording and reconstructing sites and monuments in digital and multimedia records. These records not only extend the life of the original documentation and preserve cultural heritage information but also, being digital, can today become immediately accessible globally and equally by educators, researchers, and students. They are launching new publication formats for archaeological reporting in which hypertext-linked virtual worlds are the visual, three-dimensional indexes to publications. A linked visual index offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing access to information either linearly, via conventional text-based browsing, or nonlinearly, via image queries. The design of Java-based electronic thesauri for filtering search queries in currently underway.
