IIIF International Image Interoperability Framework is a set of open standards for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. It’s also an international community developing and implementing the IIIF APIs. IIIF is backed by a consortium of leading cultural institutions and, among the many activities, the IIIF community is leading a working group on 3D.
The IIIF 3D community group provides an opportunity for institutions interested in interoperability to coordinate strategies and facilitate conversations about open standards that support 3D use cases. The group is chaired by Ronald Haynes (Cambridge University), Mike Boyd (University of Edinburgh) and Thomas Flynn (Spatial Heritage Review). Many of the desired operations and interactions with 3D data are similar to the 2D and A/V use cases of IIIF for sharing images and annotation, and organizations are increasingly looking to integrate exhibits, displays, and comparisons of 3D data with other file types. A dedicated subgroup is particularly focused on technical specifications for 3D data domain.
On the occasion of the monthly meeting of the working group on 9 October 2024, EUreka3D work and its Data Hub and suite of services for 3D cultural collections’ storage, management and sharing were informally presented by Valentina Bachi (Photoconsortium), underlining how closer collaboration between initiatives working around 3D is extremely important to sustain and foster the digital transformation of the cultural sector and of the institutions, big and small, which are active part of it.
