SBIR Phase I: Extracting Valuable Information Automatically from Objects with Surface Impressions via Photographs and Interactive Digital Surrogates

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will create new software for automatically creating textured, 3D digital models of cuneiform inscriptions from multiple digital photographs and for automatically performing geometric character recognition on the impressions in order to derive meaning. The proposed system (more accurate, faster, and a more effective detective tool than any current alternative) comprises: (1) reconstructing detailed models of cuneiform tablets from multiple photographs; (2) isolating individual cuneiform strokes and distinguishing meaningful characters from background cracks; (3) classifying, against lexicons, the characters based on geometric characteristics; and (4) performing preliminary automatic word identification leading to translation of the texts. Ancient written records (Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets; Egyptian hieroglyphic carvings; or Roman political inscriptions) hold the keys to understanding our cultural heritage, but go unread because there are too many of them, their translation takes too long, and there are too few linguistic experts. Other arenas have objects with surface impressions (tire tracks, bootprints, and fossil remains) that must be measured for analysis and compared to like objects for identification, but such results cannot be efficiently obtained with current methods. The time lost, the inaccuracies created, and the potentially false interpretations presented can have dire consequences. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project are the significant benefits afforded to the target institutions allowing creation of accurate and precise 3D digital models of inscribed objects in their collections without the need for special equipment or experts. Since camera calibration, tripods, or special lighting are unnecessary, the process can be completed quickly, easily, and cheaply. Beyond the insight into the past that will inevitably accrue by using the proposed system, economic and technological advantages will motivate its commercial adoption. Museums, archaeological sites, and other collections need no longer pay for expensive scanners and their maintenance and upgrades, nor hire specialists to run the equipment and massage the results. Scholars need not travel to see inscriptions firsthand, still the traditional method of studying ancient written documents (photographs or drawings are insufficient for understanding the texts). The proposed system thus accomplishes many tasks the tools for which are unavailable; and it goes far beyond what has been attempted to aid the study and dissemination of information about ancient texts (e.g., Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative; Digital Hammurabi Project; Persepolis Foundation Archive). The software has extensive applications, such as in geology, forensics, and crime investigation, which we will explore in Phase II.