The Focus Group on Built Heritage, held on 26th February 2026, was co-organised by ICOMOS and the ECHOES project within the framework of the European Collaborative Cultural Heritage Cloud (ECCCH) consultation process. The workshop gathered more than 20 invited participants, primarily ICOMOS experts from relevant International Scientific Committees on built heritage, together with researchers and digital heritage specialists.
Slide from Rémi Petitcol’s presentation on the ECHOES Consultation Survey
The primary objective of the focus group was to assess current digital practices in built heritage documentation and to identify requirements, challenges, and expectations relevant to the development of the Cloud.
The workshop combined:
- An overview of the Cultural Heritage Cloud initiative and its objectives
- Presentations on ICOMOS’s role and digital heritage challenges
- Analysis of survey results on digital tools and skills
- Keynote presentations illustrating advanced digitisation and collaborative workflows
- Interactive discussions on platform requirements.
Discussions highlighted persistent challenges related to data quality, interoperability, standardization, legal constraints, and long-term preservation. Participants emphasized the need for integrated annotation tools, 3D visualization capabilities, and robust data management solutions. Training, documentation, and community support were identified as critical enablers for adoption.
The focus group also revealed a strong emphasis on practical heritage management and protection, complementing research-oriented uses of digital heritage data. This underlined the necessity for the ECCCH to accommodate both academic research and operational conservation workflows.
The outcomes of this workshop provide guidance for the ECHOES consortium regarding functional requirements, governance considerations, and user engagement strategies. The feedback collected will directly inform the design and implementation of the European Cultural Heritage Cloud, ensuring alignment with professional practices and stakeholder expectations.
