From Lost Worlds to Open Data: 3DBigDataSpace Data Synergy Grant Winners

2025-10-16

From Lost Worlds to Open Data: 3DBigDataSpace Data Synergy Grant Winners

As PSNC is a partner of 3DBigDataSpace, our Center is very happy to share two exceptional undertakings that have been selected as winners of the project’s Data Synergy Call. Both of them are outstanding examples of striving for excellence in reconstructing lost heritage and so, they will receive support in preparing 3D assets and metadata in order to enrich Europe’s digital 3D cultural landscape. These two projects will be integrated into the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage – a key initiative aimed at increasing the accessibility, interoperability, and reusability of Europe’s digital heritage.

Both projects take their audiences on a journey in time to the south of the Old Continent:

Portomarín, Spain – A Submerged Village Brought Back as Data

The medieval village of Portomarín (Lugo, Spain), submerged in 1963 beneath the Belesar dam, has been virtually reconstructed by researchers at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and the Centro Infográfico Avanzado de Galicia (CIAG). The project recreated over 300 buildings using archival photographs, oral testimonies, and advanced 3D modelling. Now, with the support of the 3DBigDataSpace Synergy Programme, the Portomarín Virtual project’s assets will be prepared for open, structured integration into the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage.
🌐Visit the project’s website: https://ciagalicia.com/proxectos/portomarin-vello/

Turin, Italy – Reviving a World’s Fair in Digital Form

The 1911 International Exposition in Turin, which once showcased global innovation, has been digitally revived by the Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and the University of California, San Diego (USA). Through laser scanning, drone photogrammetry, H-BIM, and AI-assisted reconstruction, researchers recreated pavilions, landscapes, and architectural icons such as the UNESCO-listed Valentino Castle. With the support of 3DBigDataSpace, the Turin 1911 project will ensure its assets are widely available and enriched with metadata and paradata, transforming them from isolated reconstructions into interoperable resources for education, conservation, and creative reuse.
🌐Visit the project’s website: https://italyworldsfairs.org/

By supporting projects like Portomarín and Turin 1911, the 3DBigDataSpace Synergy Programme helps make 3D heritage assets not only visible but usable within a shared European framework.

– We are very pleased to have received 40 high-quality applications from 19 countries in response to the first Data Synergy Call. This demonstrates the strong commitment of the cultural heritage community to make their 3D reconstructions more accessible – said Alexandru Stan, Technical Coordinator of 3DBigDataSpace.

3DBigDataSpace was launched in February 2025 and since then it has aggregated over 50,000 high-quality 3D cultural heritage models, which are available now in the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage. The project improves the discoverability, metadata quality, and usability of 3D content through interoperable storage and AI-powered enrichment — enabling immersive VR, AR, and 4D applications across Europe.

The 3DBigDataSpace project was funded by the Digital Europe Programme.

It is a horizontal bar displaying logos and information about cooperation and funding: Time Machine: On the left side appears a black, geometric logo accompanied by the text “Time Machine.” Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage: Next to it is the text “COMMON EUROPEAN DATA SPACE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE,” featuring a small orange angle mark at the bottom. Co-funded by the European Union: On the right side, the European Union emblem (a circle of stars) is displayed alongside the text “Co-funded by the European Union.” This banner indicates that the previously mentioned project — most likely “3DBigDataSpace” and the “Data Synergy Call” — is connected with the Time Machine initiative and the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage, and is co-funded by the European Union.