Building a collaborative network for the digital representation of engineering collections

Abstract

This paper charts a collaborative experience between university scholars and museum practitioners from two faculties of the University of Porto (Engineering and Humanities). It is based on an historic experimental apparatus with great research potential: namely a single-component aerodynamics balance used to measure drag and lift in bodies. This object is included in the museum collection of the University of Porto’s Faculty of Engineering. The case study concerns a collaborative network built with internal contributions and resources from the two faculties to support the creation of a digital means of communication and teaching using 3D Blender. The team shared the belief that digital technologies offer new opportunities for the discovery, preservation, representation, communication and use of university museum exhibits. From the university team members’ perspective, the different goals, motivations and knowledge creation processes, and the implications for the needs of preservation are examined. Finally, factors contributing to the success of the experience and the obstacles that challenged the collaborative process are discussed.