Just before the conference banquet, Professor Emeritus Vito Cappellini from the University of Florence will lecture on how DSP can pave the way to the creation of a digital culture in Fine Arts. The lecture will take place into the hall "Sala D'Arme" of Palazzo Vecchio, the banquet venue, for a limited number of attendees selected on a first-come-first-served policy. You will be asked about your intention to attend the lecture at the time of registration in Florence.

Professor “Emeritus” Vito Cappellini (University of Florence, Italy)

Art and Science were strictly connected in the Renaissance, as just represented by Leonardo da Vinci. In last years new Digital Technologies have been developed for Culture applications. In particular high quality digital Acquisitions of Art-Works can be performed, as well as efficient Virtual 2D-3D Representations. All the Art-Works (over 1200 ones) of Uffizi Gallery in Florence were digitized at high quality, constituting the "Digital Archive" of the Gallery, under the Coordination and Supervision of the Superintendence of "Polo Museale Fiorentino". A special interactive installation and iOS app, called "Uffizi Touch®", was realized by Centrica, mixing thematic paths with high resolution images. Further 20 more important Art-Works of the Gallery were more recently digitized at very high quality (space resolution, colour calibration, geometrical distortion reduction). A "Digital Theater", where the Uffizi Rooms are reconstructed - through 2D digital images and special software - with 3D virtual representation, was also implemented. Several Virtual Galleries in Europe, Japan and China were organized to show some of the above Digital Activities by a Team, constituted by the Media Integration and Communication Center - University of Florence, Hitachi Ltd. and Centrica, under the Coordination and Supervision of the Superintendence. The above main results are shown. Finally other high quality Multimedia Systems realized in cooperation with UNESCO Center of Florence Municipality ("Florence Heritage"), also for Tourism promotion in the "Smart - Cities" framework, are presented.

Vito Cappellini obtained in 1975 the Full Professor degree in Electrical Communications. He was Dean of the Engineering Faculty (1993-1995) in Florence University. He was also Director of the IFAC CNR Research Centre “Nello Carrara” in Florence. His main research interests are: digital signal-image processing, digital communications, multimedia systems, art-works analysis-restoration and IPR protection (“watermarking”). He has published over 350 papers in the above fields and contributed to several international books. He was Director of the “UFFIZI Project”. He is President of the Excellence Center for Communication and Media Integration. He received in 1984 the "IEEE Centennial Medal". He is "fellow" of the IEEE.