Virtual Reality in Cultural Heritage: A Setup for Balzi Rossi Museum

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper outlines a comprehensive project aimed at leveraging Virtual Reality (VR) technology to enhance the accessibility and preservation of cultural heritage at the Balzi Rossi Museum. This project is a collaborative effort between the University of Genoa, Eurodrone, and the Balzi Rossi Archaeological Museum, focusing on creating immersive VR experiences for the "Caviglione" and "Florestano" caves, known for their ancient rock engravings. The study is notable for its use of advanced VR technology, including Unreal Engine 5 and Nanite technology, to provide detailed and immersive exploration of the archaeological site across different historical periods. Suggestions for adjusting the content of the paper are as follows:

1.Enhancing Discussion on User Experience Design Under Section 3. Materials and Methods, sub-section "3.1 The First Iteration of the Balzi Rossi VR Experience," it is suggested to add a section discussing the user experience (UX) design process, how the needs of different target audiences were considered, and specific measures taken to enhance accessibility.
2.Implementation and Reporting of Systematic Evaluation Before the conclusion in Section 4. Conclusion and Future Work, add a subsection reporting the methodology and results of a systematic evaluation of the VR experience, including visitor feedback, measurement of learning outcomes, and its impact on enhancing learning and participation.

3.Expanding Discussion on the Broader Impact on Cultural Heritage Preservation In the conclusion of Section 4. Conclusion and Future Work, expand the discussion to explore the potential impact of the project on the broader field of cultural heritage preservation, and how the technology could be applied to other sites or scenarios.

4.Comparative Analysis with Existing Solutions In Section 2. Related Works, add a section for comparative analysis with existing VR or AR applications in cultural heritage, highlighting the unique contributions of this project and potential areas for improvement.

5.In-depth Discussion on Technical Implementation Details In Section 3. Materials and Methods, within an appropriate sub-section on technical implementation, provide more detailed information on technical challenges, solutions, and the effectiveness of technical choices.

6.Discussion on Multi-language Support In Section 4. Conclusion and Future Work, discuss the reasons for choosing specific language support, including Italian, English, and French, and outline plans for potentially adding more languages in the future and their potential impact on increasing visitor participation.

Through the suggested modifications, the paper will be able to more comprehensively and deeply showcase the application of VR technology in the field of cultural heritage, as well as the project's contribution to related research and practice.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper lacks too many important points, among which are the location of the site with a clear map and coordinates, the history of excavations, the importance of the Balzi Rossi sites within the prehistory of southern Europe, the radiocarbon cronology of the most important sites, and many other things. It is very poorly illustrated and in most cases the pictures are unclear or  scientifically useless. Moreover the scientific approach is very poor. In my opinion it has to be recoinceived, rewritten and resubmitted as a much better English version. Moreover, too many references are missing

Many phrases are not clear to me and need to be revised by an English native language  author. 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear Authors,

I would like to thank you for your contribution. This article aims to illustrate the potential offered by using VR in cultural heritage preservation and education. It provides a detailed description of the methods employed in creating the digital reconstruction, thereby clarifying numerous hypotheses and settings utilised by the authors.

However, the article could further focus on the users' experience using these tools, partially described in the conclusions. With regards to this matter, I recommend adding a chapter solely dedicated to user experience, implementing the following points:

1.     Highlight the potential that the digital experience offers, in conjunction with or in comparison to physically visiting the site.

2.     Additionally, it would be interesting to provide a description, possibly supplemented with images, of the interface visible to users.

3.     Finally, emphasise the main activities that users can engage in within the simulation.

Here are additional inputs that I hope will help you to improve your research:

· I recommend implementing references

· At line 56, I would recommend replacing the abbreviation for the province of Imperia with its full name to facilitate understanding for non-Italian readers.

· In Chapter 3.1, I propose to move Figure 1 after the first lines of the related text.

· In Chapter 3.1, I suggest providing a more detailed description of the methodologies employed for the photogrammetric survey using drones. This may include specifying the drone's model, the characteristics of the camera employed, and whether ground control points were utilised, among other relevant details.

Best Regards

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The author has adjusted most of the questions in the paper, so I have no special suggestions.

Author Response

Thank you so much for your precious review and help to improve our article.

Reviewer 2 Report

As far as I know the name of the museum is Prehistoric Museum "Balzi Rossi" (Museo Preistorico dei "Balzi Rossi" or Museo Preistorico Nazionale deli Balzi Rossi in Italian, as it is reported in the official papers and in the internet). Much better to report it with its correct name. In any case, although the site is famous, maybe that somebody in Siberia of south east Asia does not know where it is. This is why a map with the precise location of the sites is necessary in any case. 

Please, check the attachment for further comments

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Better to have the text revised by a native English speaker. Some expressions are inorrect

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

I thank the authors for the revised version of the paper. I believe it has significantly improved and does not require further modifications for publication

Author Response

Thank you so much for your precious review and help to improve our article.