Iraq's National Museum Artifacts to be Digitized by Google

Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google has just made a presentation at the Iraq's national Museum. What they are going to do is create a virtual copy of all the collections in the museum at their own expense. And make it available freely on Google.

Amira Edan, the director of the museum was very happy speaking to reporters that the collection of four millenniums of treasure will now be able for the world to see. The Museum remains closed  because of the fear of violence.



"Ambassador Christopher R. Hill described the project as “part of an effort spearheaded by the State Department to bring technology to Iraq. We thought, what better way to do that than bring Eric Schmidt here?”
A part of the collection has already been digitized by the by Italy’s National Research Center but where not extensive enough.
It is also reported that Mr. Schmidt arrived in an conveys or armored suburbans, helicopter cover and snipers on roof tops.
The images should be available by early next year. Had it been so difficult to visit Iraq and view the collections. There might have been another controversy with this whole exercise. But for now everyone is going to wait to see this collection that has been hidden for years. Iraq with the arrival of Eric Schmidt has opened the door in a way to bring more updated internet technology to Iraq and maybe more computer education.
Massimo Cultraro, scientific director of the Virtual Museum, said in a telephone interview that the Web site was a collaboration among 100 scientists, computer technicians and historians.
A lot of the process will take place within the halls of the museum and therefore the background to the artifacts and other collections would be the actual halls where they are found.

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Sociolatte