Thanks to technology, cataloguing great works of art can now be done digitally, meaning that information can be scanned and kept in digital format where it is easier to maintain and to share. Google wants to help do their part as well which is why the company has created a hi-res Art Camera that helps scan artwork for safekeeping.
Over the past few years, Google has been doing their part in trying to catalogue artwork digitally via their Cultural Institute arm. So far they have managed to scan and archive 200 works of art, but in the past few months, they have actually managed to scan an additional 1,000 pieces, and the sudden increase in scans is thanks to the hi-res Art Camera that we talked about.
It seems that this camera is not only capable of scanning hi-res files, but it works considerably quicker which in turn lets Google pick up the pace. According to Marzia Niccolai, technical program manager at the Cultural Institute, “The capture time has been reduced drastically. Previously it could take almost a day to capture an image. To give you an idea, now if you have a one meter by one meter painting, it would take 30 minutes.”
Also prior to this, Google and other art institutions had to hire third-party services and equipment, but now with their own camera, the process has become cheaper. Google is also encouraging organizations to use their technology and has since lent it out to organizations in Brazil, India, and Hong Kong.