Detailed description of project

MELISSA (Multimodal Enhanced Local ImmerSive StoryscApes) is a digital cultural platform designed to make the invisible cultural layers of a place visible through artificial intelligence, augmented reality and digital storytelling.

The project enriches the physical visit rather than replacing it, transforming museum objects, archives, oral testimonies and landmarks into vivid, personalized cultural routes adapted to each visitor’s profile, interests, language, accessibility needs, location and time.

Through user modelling, context awareness, LLM/NLP-generated narratives and recommendation engines, MELISSA creates dynamic cultural experiences including personalized routes, multimodal storytelling, AR/3D content and conversational digital guides such as avatars or chatbots.

The platform is designed as a reusable blueprint for cultural management and tourism development, applicable across cities in Thessaly, supporting accessible heritage, local tourism, digital preservation and innovation in AR/AI.

Type and scope of work provided

• Digital Cultural Repository: interoperable documentation of cultural resources using international standards such as CIDOC CRM and EDM.
• AR Application: personalized cultural routes on mobile devices, based on the ACUX typology.
• Artificial Intelligence: LLMs, user modelling and conversational digital guides.
• Digital Storytelling: adaptive micro-narratives connecting cultural evidence with landmarks.
• Open Data & APIs: open interfaces and connection with European networks such as Europeana.
• Pilot Implementation: testing, evaluation and dissemination through a 24-month implementation plan, progressing from TRL 3 to TRL 8.