Freelance consultant for digital heritage

About Tom Goskar

I am a freelance archaeologist, technologist, curator of folk traditions, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

I specialise in research, visualisation and reconstruction, 3D scanning, photogrammetry, surface analysis and filtering, digitisation, and audio restoration. My main research interest is the use of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) in the fields of cultural heritage, along with surface enhancement of prehistoric petroglyphs (rock art) and early medieval decorated and inscribed stones.

I research and curate exhibitions about folk traditions which have been held in both museums and retail spaces.

I have made detailed 3D records of small artefacts up to entire monuments contributing to archaeological projects across the UK, designed historic photograph digitisation projects, restored historic audio recordings, curated exhibitions, lectured and taught at local societies to large universities, and helped museums, libraries and archives with diverse digital projects.

As a freelancer I am available to work on projects anywhere in the world. My professional profile is available on LinkedIn. Please contact me with any enquiries.

I am an alumni of the University of Southampton, where I achieved a BA in Archaeology and an MSc in Archaeological Computing, and have been a professional archaeologist since 2001. In early 2024 I completed certified courses in Generative AI (Prompt Engineering, Advanced Data Analysis and Trustworthy Generative AI) from Vanderbilt University.

Research areas

Recovery and enhancement of inscriptions, rock art, and decorated stonework using high resolution 3D (photogrammetry / scanning) and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI).

Development of 3D surface enhancement methodologies through the application of digital filtering such as depth mapping, ambient occlusion, trend surface, sky visibility, positive openness and many more.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies and how they can by applied to the study of the past, including intangible heritage. This is a large and fast-paced area of research, covering everything from audio restoration of historic recordings through to recording rock art and the use of generative AI and prompt engineering.

Mobile rapid 3D capture using photogrammetry (Object Capture API), Apple iPhone LiDAR, NeRFs, Gaussian Splatting, including workflows, UI/UX, and quality. I use and evaluate most of the available apps, including as an alpha/beta tester for new scanning apps.

Folk traditions of Cornwall, particularly researching large seasonal community celebrations, their earliest origins and descriptions, to inspire revivals and continuity today.

Publications

Below is a list of my publications, talks and lectures to give an overview of the breadth of my work. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Book Contributions

Preston-Jones, A. & Okasha, E. 2013. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, XI, Early Cornish Sculpture. OUP/British Academy. (Contribution of 4 plates, identification of early medieval carvings and their symbolism on a cross-base in Gulval, and commentary on photogrammetry methodology).

Exhibitions

Royal Academy of Arts, London (2007): Audio/visual installation for the Society of Antiquaries at “Making History – Antiquaries in Britain 1707-2007”, a 3D fly-through of the Stonehenge landscape using LiDAR, a panoramic view of Stonehenge from the centre, and a 3D visualisation of close-range laser scan data showing the rock art and graffiti.

Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, Salisbury (2008): Audio/visual installation for the Society of Antiquaries at “Making History: 300 Years of Antiquaries in Britain“, a 3D fly-through of the Stonehenge landscape using LiDAR, 3D visualisation of the skull and bones of the Amesbury Archer demonstrating metric techniques, and 3D visualisation of WWI & WWII graffiti carved into trees on Salisbury Plain.

Guise Dancing: A Cornish wintertime mumming tradition (2016): Pop-up exhibition in a large retail space in Penzance, attracting more than 2000 people within 14 days. The exhibition included community donations of costumes and props from this vibrant Christmastime folk tradition.

Golowan: The origins of Penzance’s midsummer festival (2021). Large and colourful pop-up exhibition taking over the entire retail space of a former Argos store. Despite COVID restrictions, this exhibition attracted 1,500 people, taking them on a journey back to the 18th century and through first-hand accounts of the midsummer celebrations in Penzance during the 19th century, up to a centrepiece installation of banners and costumes from the past 30 years since the festival’s revival. Over 4,000 words of original research, recyclable and reusable interpretation boards. Due for redisplay in 2024.

Faddying it thro’ the Streets: the earliest accounts of Helston’s Flora Day (2024). Occupying a gallery within the Museum of Cornish Life, this was the first public display bringing together rare and early descriptions, opinions, and music of the town of Helston’s annual Spring festival, displayed alongside a curated display of related objects from the collections of the Museum of Cornish Life.

Papers, talks, lectures & webinars

  • Computer Applications in Archaeology UK (CAAUK) conferences in the UK (2003-2006).
  • Joint paper at the British Academy in April 2004 upon the findings of our “Stonehenge Laser Scan” project, where we discovered long lost carvings on the most studied stone (Stone 53) at Stonehenge.
  • Lecture at King’s College, Taunton in 2004 on “Lasers and Archaeology”.
  • Paper with the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) Director, Mike Heyworth, on Web 2.0 and Archaeology at the IFA Conference in Edinburgh, April 2006.
  • Lecture at the Museums Association “Digital Dialogues” conference in June 2007 on “Podcasting – should museums listen?” at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
  • Lecture to CBA Wessex at Salisbury Museum on 3D Visualisation in Archaeology, Summer 2007.
  • Lecture at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London: “Using digital technology to visualise the past” (with Stuart Eve, L-P Archaeology/UCL), January 2011.
  • “Challenges and possibilities for the adoption of Reflectance Transformation Imaging in the UK’s commercial archaeology sector”. Digital Transformations: New developments in cultural heritage imaging at The Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, University of Oxford, 25 February 2011.
  • Talk at the University of Falmouth’s Academy of Innovation and Research (AIR) on Digital Archaeology. Penryn Campus, 31 May 2013.
  • Talk for the Cornwall Archaeological SocietyDigital surface recording in archaeology: some recent case studies from Cornwall. Truro, Cornwall, 7 November 2013.
  • Lecture for the MA Public Archaeology course at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL: Digital Public Engagement. London, 17 March 2014.
  • Talk for the Cornwall Archaeological SocietyDo you see what I see? Examining 3D data in archaeology. Truro, Cornwall, 5 November 2015.
  • Talk with Mary Ellery (Chair of the Morrab Library) for the Rotary Club of PenzanceThe Morrab Library Photographic Archive. Penzance, Cornwall, 17 March 2016.
  • Talk for Kernow DAT (Dev/Art/Tech): 3D capture in archaeology. Penzance, 15 September 2016.
  • Lecture for the Cornwall Archaeological Society annual conference, Archaeology in Cornwall:New Light on Inscribed Stones in West Penwith. Penzance, 26 November 2016.
  • Lecture for Café Scientifique, Redruth3D Technologies in Archaeology. Redruth, Cornwall, 19th January 2018.
  • Lecture for Hayle Heritage CentreReading the unreadable: 3D scanning and enhancing the Cunaide Stone inscription. Hayle, Cornwall, 3rd July 2019.
  • Webinar for ScenarioSuccessfully Capture any Object in 3D. Online, 19th May 2022.
  • Lecture for Meneage Archaeology Group (MAG). Surface analysis and artificial intelligence for archaeologists. 25 February 2023.
  • Lecture for the Cornwall Archaeological Society. Teasing information from stones in Cornwall: using 3D and Al to reveal hidden details on carved surfaces. 18 January 2024.

Teaching

I have contributed to the MA in Public Archaeology at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology through a lecture to students and via the CASPAR seminar series.

I have contributed to the MSc course in Archaeological Computing at the University of Southampton (2005-2009), and lectured to continuing education students at Birkbeck College, London.

I regularly teach 3D capture techniques through either dedicated one-on-one sessions or to small groups as part of archaeological recording projects.

Some other quick facts

  • Worked with 3D capture in one way or another since 2002
  • Podcaster since 2005
  • Blogger since 2004
  • Tinkered with location-based tech since 2002
  • All-round geek and early adopter of tech
  • Plays trad music on the mandolin

Social media

Follow me on Mastodon