The document details several areas of collaboration, beginning with the development of search and analytics services that will combine text recognition networks, computer vision algorithms for identifying faded sections, data integrity methods, and optical non-destructive diagnostic technologies for assessing original records. The second area involves educational and exhibition projects: digital installations, virtual displays of archival funds, and promotion of the historical and cultural heritage of St. Petersburg.
Another crucial part of the cooperation will focus on education and professional development of specialists. Particularly, students from ITMO’s Research and Educational Center for Photonics and Optical IT will have the chance to work on archival documents as part of their practical training, and ITMO University, together with the Archive Committee, will develop a dedicated educational program for IT experts in the archival sector. Furthermore, the partners will form working groups for various projects and organize experience exchange events, as well as internships and trips for students and employees to study and work at both sites.
The work under the agreement will be performed by ITMO’s Heritage Science Lab. Its students and researchers examine paintings and archival documents for hidden paint layers, erased or faded inscriptions, and traces of restoration. For that, they use three main methods: spectroscopy (to determine the composition of materials based on reflected light), tomography (to scan through the object to reveal hidden cracks and sketches), and ultraviolet and infrared imaging (to reveal text and paintings under paint). All data is uploaded to the laboratory’s database where specialists can determine the origin and age of objects under study. The laboratory collaborates with the country’s top museums, including the State Russian Museum, the Hermitage Museum, and the Museum of the History of Religion – and now St. Petersburg’s Archive Committee.
“This is a great chance for ITMO students to practice on real-world tasks – they’ll work on genuine archive data and then use this experience in their graduation papers. In turn, the committee will acquire access to the laboratory’s competencies and prototypes of search and analytics services, as well as diagnostics methods, and therefore won’t need to spend their resources to develop them in-house,” emphasizes Olga Smolyanskaya, the head of ITMO’s Heritage Science Lab.
Alexander Nikolenko, a researcher at ITMO’s Heritage Science Lab, Petr Tishchenko, the chairman of the Archive Committee of St. Petersburg, Anton Tsypkin, the head of ITMO’s Research and Educational Center for Photonics and Optical IT, and Olga Smolyanskaya, the head of ITMO’s Heritage Science Lab. Photo by the Archive Committee of St. Petersburg
The archival legacy of St. Petersburg is stored in seven state archives, each specializing in specific historical periods and types of documents. The most popular materials are being progressively digitized and become accessible to users online. As of now, the information system State Archives of St. Petersburg offers access to over 12 million pages of historical records.
“The tools we’re working on with ITMO will help simplify work with archival materials and enhance search possibilities on the Archives of St. Petersburg portal. Today, it’s especially crucial for the archival sector to incorporate AI technologies, increase access to archival data, and train specialists with a strong command of digital tools. I believe this partnership will help us move forward in all our goals,” says Petr Tishchenko, the chairman of the Archive Committee of St. Petersburg.
