Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image

Transcription

1 Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image University College London, England Introduction Advanced digital imaging technologies are used to support humanities studies of human images, including those rendered in mummy mask cartonnage, sketches by Michelangelo and African explorer Dr. David Livingstone, as well as texts from medical philosopher Galen of Pergamon. These technologies now offer new insights into these and other depictions and descriptions of the human image over the centuries. Yet preserving the ephemeral digital bits and bytes of data poses additional challenges so that these important digital records will be available for study by future generations of humanities scholars. Egyptian mummy masks of the Ptolemaic Dynasty (305 to 30 BCE) depicted the image of the human they encased. They were often made with a papier-mâché method using layers of papyrus, including manuscript scraps with text on them. Features painted on the mummy image often depicted the wearer s status with different colors, decorations and artwork. Of equal or potentially greater importance are writings on the layers of papyrus used to make the masks, but not visible under the surface layers. Modern imaging of mummy masks with multiple technologies now offers potential to provide unique insights into ancient Egyptian culture by allowing visualization of both the decorations visible on the masks and the texts within the papyrus cartonnage that are not visible. Greek medical philosopher Galen of Pergamon s original writings on papyrus and other fragile materials from the Roman Empire have been lost. With changing interests and media for writing, many were transcribed and translated onto parchment codices that have survived. One key 6 th Century translation into Syriac of his On Simple Drugs offers unique insights into early perceptions and treatments of the human body. These were subsequently scrubbed off and overwritten with a religious text a book of psalms. As scholarly interest and technologies changed, technical specialists are digitally recovering these overwritten texts with multispectral imaging for interdisciplinary humanities studies. Follow-on imaging with high-powered x-ray fluorescence is providing additional new insights into key folios for further study. When Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni painted the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Parallel Session 891

2 he used his expertise and knowledge gained from working with the human image in sculpture. The Last Judgement created in as an approximately meter plaster fresco over the altar included detailed depictions of the human image that have survived for almost five centuries. Yet his initial drawings of the human image that he transformed into permanent works of art on plaster are but sketches on less permanent paper that are now being revealed with multispectral imaging. During the Victorian reign, Dr. David Livingstone took copious notes with a few sketches on old and fragile newspaper while stranded in Central Africa. In his 1871 Diary written on newspaper in a red ink he produced in Africa, his rudimentary sketches of human heads offer his perspective of the local people, their hairstyles and features. His diary, with these sketches, survived the tropical conditions in Africa and was transported back to England to be revealed and digitally archived with advanced digitization technologies over a century later. Modern imaging technology and digital processing now offer new insights into the human image rendered centuries ago. With advanced multispectral imaging using optical cameras and various wavelengths of light, researchers can now clearly see some of these images and gain new insights into their creation. This is complemented by imaging with other energy levels, as well as advanced digital processing and machine learning to empower researchers to create enhanced images that best meet their unique abilities to visualize and perceive the human image in its many forms. Preserving the data that makes up these human images requires effective data planning, management and standards to ensure their preservation for future generations of humanities researchers. Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image Multispectral imaging with Phase One cameras and integrated Equipoise Imaging narrowband LED illumination in ultraviolet-visible-infrared wavelengths by of R.B. Toth Associates LLC. Advanced Imaging Advanced digitization and imaging is now an important tool for the study of unseen texts, sketches and other features for humanities studies. While humanities scholars have used single wavelengths of non-visible light to examine manuscripts and paintings, now multispectral imaging 892 Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

3 with multiple wavelengths of lights captures data across a significant part of the electromagnetic spectrum including light from frequencies beyond the light ranges visible to the human eye. Building on pioneering development of narrowband multispectral imaging and digital processing to reveal the scraped off early mathematical works in the Archimedes Palimpsest, 1 this type of advanced imaging enables the perception of additional information that the human eye fails to see. Originally developed for aerial and space-based imaging and surveillance to penetrate foliage, clouds and camouflage, and for astronomy to study celestial objects, it has proven to be a useful tool for imaging in support of the humanities. 2 This technology enhances unseen features and reveals not only human images like those drawn by Michelangelo and Livingstone and created by ancient Egyptians, but also early medical, scientific and literary texts that offer new insights into early perceptions of the human image. Current state-of-the-technology multispectral imaging systems offer new opportunities for research into perceptions of the human image as they are now being used for humanities studies of objects, media, inks and colorants. Institutions around the globe are using narrowband multispectral imaging systems for digital image capture and study of the human image and texts. This builds upon over a decade of system integration and development of not only the technology, but also the work processes and operational skills. These systems use a commercial-off-the-shelf mediumformat, high-pixel-count camera to take a series of high-quality digital images, each illuminated by a specific narrow wavelength of light from the ultraviolet through the visible and into the infrared wavelengths with light emitting diodes (LEDs). The resulting digital "stack" of captured images in all these wavelengths can reveal features that are not visible to the human eye in natural light. A stack of registered images of the Birmingham Qur an captured with a 100 megapixel Phase One color camera and Equipoise Imaging narrowband illumination in multiple spectral bands of light from ultraviolet through visible and into infrared bands. 1. Noel, W., Introduction, The Archimedes Palimpsest, I. Catalogue and Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp Christens-Barry, W. A, et.al., Camera system for multispectral imaging of documents San Jose, California, Proceedings of SPIE, (2009) vol Parallel Session 893

4 Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image The resulting image stack is then digitally processed and combined with open source software to reveal artifacts and features in the object that are not visible to the eye in natural light. These processed images generated from those captured in multiple wavelengths support research into sketches and texts by enhancing specific characteristics of the object. These digitally processed images can reveal faint traces of erased under-text and sketches, as well as erasures and changes, and residues and areas of concern for preservation. This is particularly useful to reveal scraped off texts or drawings on parchment palimpsests. Narrowband multispectral imaging and digital processing of manuscripts, palimpsests, printed works and other objects has provided humanities researchers with a wealth of information about features that are no longer visible to the human eye. These processed images, generated from the captured images, clarify and support humanities research and scholarly goals. In addition to imaging and digital processing, application of management, operation, training and information technology skills and technologies also support interdisciplinary humanities studies of the image products from the spectral imaging system. With standardized data and metadata, standard digital images can be integrated with data collected from other scientific equipment. 3 Other advanced imaging technologies also support studies of the human image. Different energy levels including in the x-ray and terahertz bands have been used for advanced imaging. This includes use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) for humanities studies of medical texts in the Syriac Galen Palimpsest that had been scrubbed off and overwritten with a book of psalms. It also includes use of infrared optical coherence tomography, different types of x-ray imaging and terahertz imaging to study mummy masks and the texts contained within them. Mummy Mask Cartonnage Imaging European researchers conducted extensive excavation of papyri in Egypt between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, and their research dramatically increased knowledge of the ancient world. Papyri manuscripts can be found in what scholars broadly define as cartonnage. In the past, papyrologists would destroy mummy masks created in the human image to retrieve their contents from layers of papyri. Dealers and collectors also employed this practice of pulling apart mummy masks and cartonnage to retrieve papyri to try to increase their earnings or without recognition of the issues associated with the destruction of these depictions of human images. These destructive studies especially without documentation of the mummy cartonnage before destruction prevented further humanities studies into the original human image. 4 With the development of advanced imaging techniques, humanities scholars now can potentially 3. Emery, D., et.al., The convergence of information technology and data management for digital imaging in museums, Museum Management and Curatorship, (2009) 24: 4, pp Mazza, R., Mummy masks, papyri and the Gospel of Mark Faces & Voices: People, Artefacts, Ancient History, 21 Jan (2015). Accessed 4 Sept Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

5 study both the mummy cartonnage itself with the human image, as well as the text on the papyri layers. Effective imaging tools could eliminate the need for invasive, destructive research into mummy masks and the remains of Egypt s ancient past. An exploratory pilot project sponsored by the Arcadia Fund across 16 international institutions and collections between November 2015 and July 2016 tested the feasibility of imaging of multi-layered papyri in Egyptian mummy cartonnages without destroying the early human images on the masks. An international team imaged Egyptian Ptolemaic mummy cartonnage and fragments in collections in the United States and the United Kingdom, using multiple nondestructive systems at multiple institutions for analysis and imaging of the papyrus. These included optical spectroscopy and multispectral narrow-band light, Synchrotron Rapid-Scanning X-ray Fluorescence (SRS-XRF), micro-computed Tomography (microct) and phase contrast x-ray, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Terahertz (THz) imaging. 5 Imaging technologies and organizations contributing to research into imaging papyrus mummy mask cartonnage as part of the multi-institutional international study sponsored by Arcadia Fund. The team started its imaging research began with optical narrowband multispectral imaging, followed by OCT used in ophthalmological research. They then performed experimental 5. Toth, M.B. & C.A., et. al., Integrating Optical Imaging of Mummy Mask Cartonnage, Proceedings of the Society for Imaging Science and Technology Archiving 2018 Conference, pp (2018). Accessed 4 Sept Parallel Session 895

6 imaging with the higher energy levels of x-rays and finally the addition of THz imaging. In addition to this imaging, the team also analyzed the chemical and elemental makeup of the papyrus cartonnage spectrally and with x-rays. This research indicated that none of the individual techniques alone yielded complete images of features in the papyrus layers of sufficient quality for all types of humanities studies. Multispectral imaging could penetrate up to three layers of papyrus with narrowband light to detect text, but could not penetrate thick layers of gesso and paint used to depict the human image on the surface. X-rays could penetrate all the materials, but not detect the lighter carbon ink used to write the Ptolemaic text. Terahertz energy could reveal some inks in multiple layers and offers potential for further research. These preliminary studies indicate that integration of data from multiple imaging technologies and techniques could offer improved results over those from just a single individual technology and technique. Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image Multispectral imaging with an integrated system of a mummy mask from the Petrie Museum in University College London. All the data produced from this study are now available online for free access to support humanities and technical studies. 6 This was only possible since all participating institutions agreed to all data freely available with sharing of their intellectual property under Creative Commons CC- BY 4.0 International. 7 This allowed the free exchange of all data for digital processing, analysis and research with it hosted online for public access. This digital humanities research highlights the destructive techniques associated with mummy mask studies and illicit sales, and provides the impetus and basis for at least documenting the original state of objects and the human image they depict for future humanities research and analysis. 6. UCL Deep Imaging Mummy Cases, The Data. Accessed 4 Sept deepimaging/data 7. Creative Commons, Licensing Types. Accessed 4 Sept licensing-types-examples/ 896 Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

7 Galen Medical Texts In addition to revealing depictions of human images across time and space, advanced technologies have also been used to reveal descriptions of the human body and its functions. Multispectral imaging revealed a 6th-Century translation of Galen s critical medical treatise On the Mixtures and Powers of Simple Drugs was erased and overwritten with an 11th-Century Syriac religious text. 8 This and additional imaging of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest (SGP) with a more advanced multispectral system and with x-ray fluorescence 9 combined with global access on the internet enabled interdisciplinary humanities studies of these previously unseen texts about the human body. International teams of scholars studied the open access multispectral images with advanced software tools to gain new insights into the transmission of Western ideas on the human body s functions into the Middle East during the medieval period. 10 They cited the SGP as an extremely important Syriac text. As Dr. Peter Pormann noted: It s likely to be a central text once it s fully deciphered. We might discover things we really can t dream of yet. 11 Humanities scholars worked with technical specialists to develop new tools not only for imaging, but also for identifying and reading the previously unseen medieval texts of Galen in Syriac. This included not only the more traditional image processing tools, but also computational machine learning tools trained by the scholars. These tools and methodologies offer potential for the study of a variety of medieval text beyond just advanced imaging of complex texts. Digital processing toolbox use to reveal the unseen in stacks of multispectral images in this screen capture the Syriac Galen Palimpsest developed by Dr. William Christens-Barry of Equipoise Imaging with opensource ImageJ software. 8. Bhayro, S. and Brock, S. The Syriac Galen Palimpsest and the Role of Syriac in the Transmission of Greek Medicine in the Orient, Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester 89 Supplement, Ancient Medical and Healing Systems: Their Legacy to Western Medicine (ed. R. David), (2012/2013) pp Bergmann, U, et.al., Chemical mapping of paleontological and archeological artifacts with synchrotron X-rays, Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry, 5, (2012). 10. Das, A., et.al., The Syriac Galen Palimpsest: Digital Recovery of a Missing Link between Greek and Islamic Science. Mizan Project, March 3, (2016) Accessed 4 Sept Schrope, M, Medicine s Ancient Roots, New York Times, 2 June (2015) p D1. Accessed 4 Sept Parallel Session 897

8 The success of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest imaging program highlighted not only the need for integrated imaging systems with advanced cameras and illumination panels, but also the need for effective program and data management. Efficiently and quickly providing useful results for humanities scholars and preservation of the data for future generations of scholars required new management techniques and work processes. Management of the SGP imaging and processing focused on integration of the people, processes and technology into an efficient imaging system. This included planning and managing the data flow, data replication, image processing and production of the image products with efficient and standardized work processes. Good communication with the humanities scholars and effective feedback from them proved critical to interdisciplinary success. This ensured the images were optimized to meet scholars abilities to perceive the texts when they were rendered digitally on a screen for their viewing and humanities research. The methodology and interplay of scholarship and science studies of the SGP serves as model for best practices in interdisciplinary research into new methodologies and tools for humanities studies. This manuscript has been fully imaged and digitally reconstituted with folios scattered in multiple libraries, with all images and metadata now hosted in simple flat files for free access on digitalgalen.net. With over 300 GB of data hosted for open access online, this data set provides opportunities for further study and collaboration based on advanced imaging technologies and work processes. 12 Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image Michelangelo s Human Anatomy Sketch Modern technologies and conservation techniques offer new insights into the human image, including Michelangelo s anatomical studies drawn during the Renaissance. Early in 2018, an advanced multispectral system was brought to the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, USA, to image Shakespeare and Ben Franklin manuscripts in their collection. While the imaging system was available, it was used to try to gain more insight into mss HM 36088, a draft of a madrigal poem by Michelangelo believed to be gli sguardi che mi strazji that included a study of a section of human anatomy and what proved to be two additional sketches. 12. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Pennsylvania, Openn, The Galen Syriac Palimpsest. Last modified 29 April (2016). Accessed 4 Sept Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

9 Multispectral imaging of mss HM (left) and a grey-scale digitally processed image (right) of the section of human anatomy sketched on M i c h e l a n g l o s d r a f t madrigal poem s paper. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Multispectral imaging of Michelanglo s poem enhanced visibility into two sketches that were not readily seen by the human eye: detail of an architectural arch and an object that may be a dove. It also yielded higher resolution and more detailed images of the anatomy study of a human image by Michalengelo. The anatomy sketch is attributed to the left leg of a male figure rendered in the Resurrection of the Dead section in the lower left area of his enormous plaster fresco The Last Judgement over the altar of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.13 Additional details in the anatomical figure were revealed with automated software tools that digitally processed the resulting stack of multispectral images to provide scholars and curators with digitally processed images in greyscale as well as pseudocolor to meet the needs different levels of Parallel Session Huntington Digital Library, [Drawing of left leg and 15 lines of verse] : [graphic, manuscript] Accessed 15 Sept Digitally processed multispectral image of mss HM revealing architectural sketches to the left, and more details in the Michelangelo human anatomy study attributed to The Last Judgement. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

10 human perception. Ph.D. candidate Cerys Jones then manually registered the processed image with an image of The Last Judgement to highlight the accurate correlation of the original sketch with the completed fresco. 14 This imaging and digital correlation of the Michelangelo anatomical study with his depiction of the human figure in his final fresco provides opportunities for further conservation assessment and preservation of the fresco. It also offers potential to support historical research into his documentation and the relationship among his various works. Ultimately, it offers humanities scholars, art historians and conservators new insights into Michelangelo s creative techniques and his detailed understanding of the human figure that proved central to his paintings and sculpture. Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image Resurrection of the Dead in the lower left section of The Last Judgement, , (Sistine Chapel, Vatican) with superimposed Michelangelo anatomical study in mss HM (The Huntington Library, San Marino, California) David Livingstone Sketches 15 Manually registered overlay of Michelangelo anatomy study from mss HM in the Huntington Library (San Marino, California) on a cropped Resurrection of the Dead figure in The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel (Vatican) 15 British explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone spent 5 months in 1871 in the eastern 14. Jones, C., SEAHA Registration Study, University College London Ph.D. Thesis research (preprint), UCL, 24 Sept Ibid. 900 Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

11 Congo village of Nyangwe. At this point on his travels Livingstone had depleted most of his supplies, so he made ink from the seeds of a native plant to write on sheets of paper from the 1869 The Standard newspaper. His text and drawings in his field diary written on top of the printed newspaper text faded to the point of illegibility over the years. His records of this period are of significant value for humanities studies, because he describes a violent massacre of the African people by Arab slave traders. 16 In addition to his descriptions of the humans he encountered in Nyangwe, his diaries included three crude sketches of human figures, as well as a sketch of a structure, several maps and calculations. As with many depictions of human images, the presence of these sketches enhanced interest in the many other pages of diary text, and played a key role in advancing the technology for the multispectral imaging project. Because of their distinctive form and unique record, these sketches were the first examples of Dr. Livingstone s work studied during October 2009 tests of the utility of multispectral imaging technology to support humanities studies of the diaries at the David Livingstone Center in Blantyre, Scotland. During an initial review, these sketches stood out from the pages of text, offering a quick and compelling case study of the ink, imaging and processing techniques, as well as fading. An initial small team quickly mounted them on a table for a rudimentary multispectral imaging experiment with a small consumer camera taped to the arm of a projector and a small LED light panel. Technology testing of imaging of David Livingstone s 1871 Field Diary at the David Livingstone Center (left) and initial test color camera images of Folio 160 (right), with his hand-drawn sketches of human heads in the right margin. David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported. Despite the limited data available from the low-resolution color camera and jury-rigged mounting hardware, these initial images of the human figures and associated text with the entry for 2 August 1871 demonstrated the suitability of multispectral imaging and digital processing to fully reveal Dr. Livingstone s original records from 1871 on the newsprint. 16. Wisnicki, A. and Toth, M. B., The David Livingstone Spectral Imaging Project. In S. Worden (Ed. ), David Livingston, Man, Myth and Legacy Edinburgh, Scotland: National Museums Scotland (2012) (pp ). Edinburgh, Scotland: National Museums Scotland Parallel Session 901

12 Digitally processed test images of Folio 160 of David Livingstone s 1871 Field Diary with his hand-drawn sketches of human heads in the right margin. David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported. With these preliminary images, a team of scholars and technical experts developed a full program for digital humanities studies of Dr. Livingstone s entire 1871 Diary. All the newspaper pages were imaged in Scotland and the resulting stacks of images processed to enhance the legibility of Livingstone s writings and sketches, as well as suppress the original newsprint under Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image the diary. These images and diary transcriptions are all available online, where they served as the foundation for online access to additional Livingstone writings in support of digital humanities research under Creative Commons license.17 This includes the four sketches on page 160 of the diary (871f:CLX) now available online: A color image (left) and processed spectral ratio image with newsprint suppressed (right) of Folio 160 of David Livingstone s 1871 Field Diary (Livingstone 1871f:CLX), with his hand-drawn sketches of human heads in the right margin. David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported. 17. Livingstone Online, Digital Catalogue Record: Spectral University of Maryland Libraries (2017). Accessed 5 Sept Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

13 These few sketches of the human image amidst the many pages of text by Dr. Livingstone highlight a challenge faced in integrating and encoding non-textual elements in humanities studies of primary works. In his textual transcription encoded under the guidelines of the Text Encoding Initiative, Dr. Adrian Wisnicki, the digital humanities scholar leading the Livingstone research project, describes each sketch in its appropriate location with the note [Drawing of the head of an African individual.] 18 Transcription of Folio 160 of David Livingstone s 1871 Field Diary (Livingstone 1871f:CLX) Realizing the inability to fully describe these drawings of the human image, in a separate paper describing additional textual elements, Wisnicki describes the sketches in some detail as follows: The first three, of the heads of three African individuals, appear in a vertical column along the upper right-hand side of the page. The first two heads are in profile, the third looks straight ahead. Livingstone makes no textual reference to these sketches, but it appears that he is trying to illustrate two to three distinct local hairstyles. The last sketch on this page, which appears in the middle of the left-hand side of the page, represents a local foundry, as the accompanying text indicates: about thirty smithies or rather foundries in the villages we passed (2 Aug. 1871) Livingstone Online, Fragment of 1871 Field Diary (CII-CLXIII), 23 March August 1871 University of Maryland Libraries (2017). Accessed 5 Sept ll&limit=catalogue&f%5b3%5d=genre_ms%3a%22diaries%22&f%5b4%5d=daterangeyear_mi%3a1871&view_ pid=liv%3a000095&view_page=0 19. Livingstone Online, Livingstone's Manuscript Structure, Livingstone's 1871 Field Diary University of Maryland Libraries (2017). Accessed 5 Sept Parallel Session 903

14 Visualization and Perception Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image Visualizing the human figure over time has been dependent not just on its representation by its creator, the medium of its rendering or the technology used to recover it, but the ability to perceive it with the human eye. Perception and research into sketches, paintings and descriptions of the human image has evolved with natural deterioration, man-made alterations, and lighting and enhancement tools used to capture the image for the human eye. Natural deterioration limits our ability to perceive images and text on papyrus, paper, parchment and plaster that fade from or become obscured by environmental factors. These include exposure to light and oxidation, water and mold damage, chemical corrosion and changes in relative humidity. Man-made alterations can range from inadvertent damage due to mishandling and transportation to smoke and candle wax buildup, as well as conscious efforts to alter an image or text and/or obscure and even censure the prior work. Advances in lighting and viewing technology over the years have changed perceptions of the human image from illumination with the sooty flames of early candles and lamps to today s LED illumination and x-rays. These have been complemented by visualization tools from early magnifying glasses to today s high-resolutions screens displaying images from 150 megapixel cameras. Ultimately whether viewed with a handheld magnifier or in digital form on screen perception of the human image is dependent on the ability of nerves in the human eye to change photons of light into nervous impulses that are perceived by the brain. Given that many people have different perceptions due to differences in color vision, visual acuity and ocular issues, with our current technologies a digital image that can be changed and adjusted by the viewer may offer the best opportunity to perceive new insights into objects. Machine learning tools, including application of Canonical Variates Analysis (CVA), offer potential to allow humans to each train their own digital processing tools to produce images that best meet their needs, instead of having to rely on scientific formulas in a trial-and-error method. 20 Machine learning tool used to read scrubbed off translated Galen undertext in stacks of multispectral images of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest, developed by University of Manchester using Canonical Variates Analysis (CVA) 20. Arsene, C., et. al. High Performance Software in Multidimensional Reduction Methods for Image Processing with Application to Ancient Manuscripts Manuscript Cultures, ARXIV, December Accessed 4 Sept Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

15 The ability of digital imaging equipment to produce a standard image output for a viewer and/ or humanities researcher offers important advances in the visualization, storage of and access to the human image. Standardized procedures and image output now allow independent imaging of the same object with multiple technologies, with subsequent integration of images to leverage the strengths of each technology and technique. Digital image processing software now empowers the viewer and/or researcher to use their own computer(s) to produce refined images that meet their visual acuity and research needs, without technical or scientific support. This is particularly true with multispectral imaging, where a stack of images taken with narrow bands of colored light can be combined and manipulated with digital processing software to yield images in a myriad of colors (or greyscales for those with limited color perception) that offer new insights to the image based on the spectral response of the original inks, colorants and media. 21 Data Preservation Although the human image and textual descriptions have survived on various media including papyrus, paper and parchment over the centuries, continued preservation on digital media is at higher risk. All digital storage media, even the most robust, must be considered vulnerable to data loss. This requires a systems approach to digital storage, in which the digital storage media is but one component of the overall storage system. Other factors that must be addressed for digital storage media preservation include the storage environment, data formats, standards, access and hardware, storage system management, operation and maintenance, and data migration (and conversion when appropriate). 22 With a systems approach to digital data storage and preservation, institutions can identify risks and look at the full range of data preservation issues. A broader systems approach needs to include the digital storage media in the context of the data formatting, migration and conversion, data and systems management, continuity of storage, and other risk factors. These should be based on industry best practices and standards, both for quality and technical robustness. In addition to considering systems performance and processes, the system operations also must be considered in the context of its integration into the organizational work environment and cultures. What works well for fast-paced and well-resourced Google may not work at the pace and resources of a humanities research institution. In addition to addressing technology issues, this approach also needs to take into account needed work processes and personnel skills. As key users of digital data, humanities researchers need to play a role in regular reviews of risk status. 21. Easton, R.L. Jr., et. al., Standardized system for multispectral imaging of palimpsests, Proceedings of SPIE, (2010). 22. Toth, M. B., How do we preserve and share our digital library information? What do we lose when we lose a library? Proceedings of the Conference held at KU Leuven 9-11 September 2015 (ed. Collier, M.), (2016) pp Accessed 4 Sept Parallel Session 905

16 Institutions with collections on digital media need to apply effective risk management to their digital preservation planning and capabilities. This would include development of a risk management plan for digital data, and actively managing risk and incorporating risk responses into budgets, schedules and performance plans. The institution would then need to analyze and manage risks to the storage of digital data with a standardized approach to rapid identification and mitigation of risks. As digitization and digital storage programs have matured and grown in duration and the amounts of data collected, standard work processes have become critical to the ability to store, preserve and access digital image data. In the commercial sector, influential industry standards and certification programs, such as ISO9000 quality standards, have propelled organizations to standardize work processes for improved quality and increased efficiency. Large organizations are defining and using best practices in process and project management for continual technology improvement, including online cloud storage systems. Systems design and management have become as important as the hardware and software used for digital storage and potentially preservation in the cloud. Only a comprehensive approach to advanced digital imaging storage and access will support the preservation of depictions of the human image that survived much of the last millennium on papyrus, parchment and paper digital objects for 21 st Century humanities scholars to study in digital form. 23 Advanced Imaging Technologies Reveal New Insights into the Human Image Acknowledgements The successes of the advanced imaging programs cited in this paper rely on the expertise and dedication of multidisciplinary teams of professionals. All have contributed to advancing humanities studies of the human image and texts: scholars, engineers, conservators, data administrators and managers, librarians, digitization professionals, curators, owners, scientists, interns and many others. Biography Mr. is an Honorary Research Associate at University College London and President of R.B. Toth Associates. He and his teams provide the research tools and images needed for humanities research and access around the globe. Mr. Toth has provided programmatic and technical support for numerous cultural heritage projects. From the Sinai Desert and Vatican to the Library of Congress and UK National Archives, he and his teams 23. Emery, R.D, et.al., The Palimpsest Data Set, The Archimedes Palimpsest, I. Catalogue and Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp Proceedings of the 5th World Humanities Forum

17 support institutions across the United States, Europe and the Middle East as they try to reveal the previously unseen. With them, Mr. Toth provides the planning, integration and systems engineering needed for advanced digital imaging research and access. More information at rbtoth.com Parallel Session 907