The 3DBigDataSpace journey

After 18 months of collaboration, innovation and shared ambition, the 3DBigDataSpace project has reached the end of its lifecycle, but not its impact.

What started with a simple but ambitious question – How can we unlock the full potential of 3D cultural heritage data for Europe? – has grown into a collaborative European journey bringing together cultural heritage institutions, researchers, technology experts, educators and innovators.

Together, we have built new tools, connected knowledge, supported new ideas and explored how digital technologies can help us discover, understand and experience cultural heritage in new ways.

At the heart of 3DBigDataSpace was a shared vision: to strengthen the role of high-quality 3D cultural heritage within the common European data space for cultural heritage and to make digital heritage more accessible, interoperable and reusable for everyone.

A journey of innovation and collaboration

Over the course of the project, 3DBigDataSpace‘s pan-European partnership transformed this vision into a wide range of concrete achievements.

Together, we developed:

11 open-source software tools supporting the complete lifecycle of 3D cultural heritage data – from optimisation and processing to AI-supported enrichment, georeferencing, workflow management and immersive visualisation;
1,200+ enriched 3D records published through Europeana, helping make valuable digital heritage collections more discoverable and accessible;
72,000+ additional records prepared for reuse within the common European data space for cultural heritage;
3 innovative visualisation environments: the PCSS Viewer, 4D Browser and Rooom AR Viewer, enabling researchers, educators and the public to explore 3D heritage in interactive and immersive ways;
4 self-paced online courses and more than 16 reusable learning resources, supporting the development of skills and knowledge around 3D cultural heritage technologies;
36 audiovisual resources, including interviews, demonstrations, presentations and promotional materials, bringing project results to wider audiences;
45+ conferences, workshops, exhibitions and community events, reaching over 28,000 people across Europe and beyond.

These achievements are the result of the dedication, expertise and collaboration of everyone involved from consortium partners and researchers to heritage professionals, educators and community members who engaged with the project along the way.

Supporting new ideas and extending our impact

One of the most rewarding parts of the 3DBigDataSpace journey was seeing the project’s technologies and knowledge being taken up beyond the consortium. Through the Data Synergy Call and the Outreach Synergy Call, the project supported external organisations in exploring new possibilities for 3D cultural heritage. Together, these calls awarded four grants of €10,000 each, helping extend the reach of the project and encouraging new applications of 3D cultural heritage technologies across Europe.

More than a project: building a community

While the numbers tell an important part of the story, the true impact of 3DBigDataSpace goes beyond statistics. The project has helped build a growing European community around the future of 3D cultural heritage – a community that shares knowledge, experiments with new technologies and works together towards more open and connected digital heritage.

By bringing together expertise from cultural heritage, research, technology and education, 3DBigDataSpace demonstrated what can be achieved through collaboration. The partnerships, conversations and ideas created during the project will continue to support innovation within the common European data space for cultural heritage and the wider digital heritage ecosystem.

A legacy that continues

Although the funded project has come to an end, the work continues. The open-source tools developed through 3DBigDataSpace remain available for reuse. Training materials, documentation and educational resources will continue supporting professionals, researchers, educators and learners interested in 3D cultural heritage.

Together with other project initiatives under the umbrella of the common European data space for cultural heritage, such as the 3D-4CH Competence Centre for 3D in Cultural Heritage and XRCulture, the project’s results will continue contributing to a more connected, innovative and sustainable future for digital cultural heritage.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to every consortium partner, associated initiative, stakeholder and community member who contributed to the success of 3DBigDataSpace.

Your expertise, enthusiasm and commitment turned an ambitious idea into a shared European achievement.

We also thank the European Commission for supporting this initiative and enabling the continued digital transformation of Europe’s cultural heritage sector.

This may be the end of the 3DBigDataSpace project but it is only the beginning of what these tools, resources and collaborations will make possible in the years ahead.

Thank you for being part of the 3DBigDataSpace journey.