Zippert P, Binder F, Hausotte T (2023)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2023
Book Volume: 6
Pages Range: 6570–6580
URI: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/10/343
Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6100343
Historical documents are often severely damaged, making it impossible to open them manually without causing further damage. To address this challenge, computed tomography (CT) has emerged as a non-destructive method to explore the inside in a different way. However, the use of ionising radiation in CT scanning raises concerns about its impact on fragile historical documents. This study presents a methodology that uses a test object to conduct preliminary investigations to evaluate the capability of a CT scanner for digital preservation of historical documents. By assessing the feasibility and determining the setting parameters in advance, the X-ray exposure to historical documents can be minimised. For this purpose, a large dataset of inter-page distances was obtained from CT scans of a specially developed test object. The results obtained show a consistent correlation between the page-to-page distances and the derived modulation depths. This method offers great potential for assessing the separability of the pages of historical documents even before they are exposed to radiation for digitisation. Overall, this study helps to reduce the impact of X-ray radiation on sensitive historical documents during digitisation using CT, with the aim of preserving this fragile cultural heritage for future generations.
APA:
Zippert, P., Binder, F., & Hausotte, T. (2023). Preserving Fragile History: Assessing the Feasibility of Segmenting Digitized Historical Documents with Modulation Depth Analysis. Heritage, 6, 6570–6580. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/heritage6100343
MLA:
Zippert, Patrick, Felix Binder, and Tino Hausotte. "Preserving Fragile History: Assessing the Feasibility of Segmenting Digitized Historical Documents with Modulation Depth Analysis." Heritage 6 (2023): 6570–6580.
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