Behaviors, Interactions and Affordance in Virtual Archaeology

The paper is focused on virtual reality applications, off-line and on-line, intended as advanced and
complex systems that in the next future could offer many solutions to new requirements of more
accessible, open and shared information. In particular we will focus on Internet that we believe will
be chosen more and more as medium even for these kind of applications, thanks to the availability
of diffuse broad band connections. Together with these considerations we will present two approach
to the topic "transparency": Transparent as Interactive and Transparent as Open. We will propose
the open source approach as a good model to face with and a sustainable alternative in the future for
the research and for cultural heritage. Data transparency, intended as open and dynamic interaction
with models, could transform, in an efficient way, a shared access to information. Some examples
will be illustrated, mainly coming from some experience of VHLab team at CNR ITABC, such in
the case of Appia Antica, Esaro Cultural District, Flaminia Projects. Finally we will propose
possible solutions that could be developed in the near future as technological tools for cultural
communication, such as virtual communities, 3d repositories, 3d shared and open web-based
working environments