Communications of the ACM
ga Researchers Apply Artificial Intelligence to the Study of Gothic Cathedrals
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University of Georgia professors Michael Covington, Don Potter, and Stefaan Van Liefferinge are using artificial intelligence to study gothic cathedrals. "The aim of our project is to develop an ontology or knowledge representation for architectural history that will make it possible for us to apply methods from artificial intelligence to historic descriptions of architecture," Van Liefferinge says. The professors say the information gathered could be used as a real-time corrector for students struggling to learn architectural terminology and it could lead to software that would help detect contradictions in ancient descriptions of buildings.
The research also could help in digital reconstructions based on partial descriptions of now-lost structures, Van Liefferinge says. "In the future, implementing this specialized ontology will, for example, make possible the programming of computers for reasoning about the syntax of architecture and the detection of gaps or contradictions in studies of something such as a cathedral," Covington says.
The professors also say the software's use eventually could be expanded to the study of other fine arts or the descriptions of space in fiction writing.
From University of Georgia
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