A VR system for the exploitation of underwater archaeological sites

The paper presents an outcome of the VISAS project (www.visas-project.eu) that concerns a virtual reality application for the exploitation of the underwater cultural heritage. The VR system takes advantage of novel 3D reconstruction techniques to provide geolocated and multi-resolution textured 3D models of underwater archaeological sites. Within the virtual underwater sites users live a recreational and educational experience by receiving historical, archaeological and biological information and contents about the submerged exhibits and structure of the site. Furthermore, the VR system allows divers to make a detailed planning of the operations and itinerary that will be later performed in the underwater environment.