Imaging Director, Cultural Heritage Imaging

What Imaging Director, Cultural Heritage Imaging does

Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 in San Francisco that develops computational photography tools and open-source software for documenting cultural heritage objects. Its flagship technology is Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), co-developed with HP Labs, which captures an object's surface reflectance properties under variable lighting to enable interactive relighting and surface analysis. CHI also applies photogrammetry techniques for 3D documentation and maintains the Digital Lab Notebook (DLN), an open-source platform for structured field documentation that integrates imaging, metadata, and conservation workflows in line with CIDOC/CRM standards.

The organization serves museums (e.g., LACMA, SFMOMA, Amon Carter Museum), universities (Stanford, Princeton), federal agencies (National Park Service, NCPTT), and Indigenous communities engaged in cultural preservation. Its work spans high-profile projects including Diego Rivera murals and El Morro National Monument inscriptions, as well as capacity-building programs for tribal cultural heritage practitioners.

CHI operates a hybrid revenue model combining competitive federal grants (NEH, NSF, NCPTT), paid training workshops priced at approximately $2,150 per participant, consulting services for institutions, and modest hardware sales (e.g., RTI scale bar kits at ~$569 per set). Its core software is released free and open-source, positioning grants and training as the primary economic engines. The organization is small (1-10 employees) and founder-led by Mark Mudge (President) and Carla Schroer (Director).

Name

Imaging Director, Cultural Heritage Imaging

Legal name

Cultural Heritage Imaging

Website

https://culturalheritageimaging.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cultural Heritage Imaging is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops computational photography tools and open-source documentation software (notably Reflectance Transformation Imaging and the Digital Lab Notebook) for museums, universities, federal agencies, and Indigenous communities preserving cultural heritage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Digital Documentation and Preservation

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG), Monuments, Statues & Memorials (THAJACAB)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage imaging
• Photogrammetry training
• Reflectance transformation imaging
• Digital preservation software
• 3D documentation services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CHI operates primarily as a nonprofit receiving grants from NEH, NSF, and NCPTT to fund research and development projects, including the Digital Lab Notebook software development and Indigenous Communities Imaging Program.
2. Training Programs: 4-day photogrammetry training courses at $2,150 per person ($1,850 for students/nonprofits/government). On-site training available for groups up to 15 people.
3. Hardware Sales - Scale Bars: Sale of calibrated photogrammetric scale bar sets at $569 per 12-piece set, plus shipping.
4. Consulting Services: Customized consulting services for institutional and private clients, with special rates for nonprofit organizations.
5. Digital Lab Notebook Software: Free and open-source software under GNU General Public License version 3. Available for Mac and Windows platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cultural Heritage Imaging develops and disseminates computational photography technologies and open-source software for scientifically documenting cultural heritage materials. Core offerings include the open-source Digital Lab Notebook (DLN) metadata management software, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and photogrammetry imaging technologies, calibrated scale bars, hands-on training programs, professional imaging services, and consulting for museums, archives, and indigenous communities.

Product overview

Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of computational photography technologies and services for cultural heritage documentation. The core product is the Digital Lab Notebook (DLN), an open-source standalone software tool for metadata collection and management. CHI provides two primary imaging technologies: Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) for surface detail enhancement and Photogrammetry for 3D documentation. Related offerings include calibrated photogrammetric scale bars, professional training programs, imaging services, and consulting. CHI collaborates with FORTH and CNR on software development. The Indigenous Communities Imaging Program extends these tools to indigenous communities for climate-driven heritage preservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Lab Notebook (DLN): Open-source software tool for collecting and managing scientifically reliable metadata for image-based digital representations in cultural heritage documentation.

Products and services

• Digital Lab Notebook (DLN) 1.0 Open-source standalone software that collects and manages scientifically reliable metadata for image-based digital representations (RTI, photogrammetry, multi-spectral imaging). Produces human-readable HTML reports, XML/RDF metadata exports (CIDOC/CRM, Dublin Core, LIDO), and archival SIPs (METS/BagIt) for long-term digital preservation. Built on PostgreSQL database with semantic knowledge management.
• Photogrammetry Training 4-day intensive hands-on training in practical, scientific use of photogrammetry for cultural heritage. Covers image capture methodology, equipment, processing workflows, and production of measurably accurate 3D documentation. Offered at CHI studio or on-site at client locations for groups up to 15 people. Priced at $2,150 per person ($1,850 for students/nonprofits/government).
• Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) Training Training in RTI computational photography techniques for capturing and analyzing surface details of cultural heritage objects through interactive re-lighting of digitally captured subjects.
• Calibrated Photogrammetric Scale Bars Set of 12 professionally calibrated scale bars (half-meter, quarter-meter, 5cm coded/non-coded sizes) for adding precise measurement scale to photogrammetric 3D imaging projects. Calibrated to 1/10mm accuracy. Priced at $569 per set plus shipping.
• Imaging Services Professional digital imaging services applying RTI and photogrammetry techniques for cultural heritage documentation, conservation, and preservation projects for institutional clients.
• Consulting Services Customized consulting services for institutional and private clients on imaging challenges and project planning for cultural heritage documentation. Special rates available for nonprofit organizations.
• Indigenous Communities Imaging Program NEH-funded program (March 2022 - February 2025) providing in-depth training and equipment to indigenous communities in Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine for digital documentation of cultural heritage at risk from climate change. Includes 5-day training sessions, equipment kits, and repository strategy development.
• RelightLab Next-generation open-source RTI building software being developed through collaboration between CHI and the Visual Computing Lab of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in Pisa for widespread adoption of RTI technology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital Lab Notebook 1.0 released as free, open-source software with Mac and Windows installers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Centre for Cultural Informatics (CCI) at FORTHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCHI's key development partner for Digital Lab Notebook software. CCI at Institute of Computer Science (ICS) at Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH) in Greece built the DLN Archiver module and managed semantic knowledge mapping. Led by Martin Doerr with team including Erich Leisch, Dr. Yannis Tzitzikas, Yannis Marketakis, Maria Theodoridou, Nikos Minadakis, and George Bruseker.
• Princeton University Department of Computer SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dr. Szymon Rusinkiewicz on algorithmic rendering and CARE (Collaborative Algorithmic Rendering Engine) open-source software development. NSF-funded project.
• US Bureau of Land ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImage capture technique for photogrammetry based on work of Neffra Matthews and Tommy Noble at BLM. CHI has collaborated with Matthews and Noble for over a decade. Scale bar design developed and field-tested by BLM photogrammetry experts.
• Visual Computing Lab (CNR Italy)strategicTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Italian National Research Council in Pisa for development of RelightLab, next-generation RTI building software. Partial funding from NEH Indigenous Communities grant.
• Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEH-funded Indigenous Communities Imaging Program partner. First training held November 2023 in Anchorage with 12 participants from multiple Alaskan Native communities. ANHC received 1,700 pieces of Native Alaskan art from Wells Fargo Collection for research and repatriation.
• Huliauapa'a (Kali'uokapa'akai Collective)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEH-funded Indigenous Communities Imaging Program partner in Hawaii. Backbone organization of network including archaeologists, museum staff, archivists, librarians, planners, lawyers, academics, and cultural practitioners. Training held March and October/December 2023.
• Passamaquoddy Tribal GovernmentstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEH-funded Indigenous Communities Imaging Program partner in Maine. First to complete both 5-day training sessions. Documenting tribal museum materials and ancestral petroglyphs along Atlantic coast (25m x 7m stone shelf with largest concentration of petroglyphs on east coast).
• Stanford LibrariesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Diego Rivera Mural Project. Stanford hosts online exhibits including Pan American Unity and The Making of a Fresco digital documentation.
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with City College of San Francisco and CHI on Diego Rivera Mural Project. Joint effort for historic display and conservation of Diego Rivera murals.
• Center of Preservation Research, University of Colorado DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on El Morro National Monument project for documentation of inscriptions and petroglyphs in partnership with US National Park Service.
• US National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on El Morro National Monument project. NPS provides access and stewardship of cultural heritage sites for documentation.
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEH-sponsored photogrammetry training session hosted at LACMA in 2016. Created 3D model of Assyrian Genie Bas Relief published on Sketchfab.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CyArk: Nonprofit organization that digitally preserves cultural heritage sites worldwide using 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry. Highly comparable to CHI as both are mission-driven nonprofits creating scientifically rigorous digital representations of heritage using overlapping computational imaging technologies.

Broad incumbents

• Getty Conservation Institute: Getty's research arm advancing conservation practice in cultural heritage. Comparable to CHI in its mission to preserve cultural heritage and develop scientific documentation methodologies, but operating at significantly larger scale and with a broader scope than CHI's imaging-focused niche.
• Internet Archive: 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital library archiving websites, books, audio, video, and cultural materials. Comparable to CHI as a large-scale nonprofit focused on digital preservation with similar mission alignment, though focused on born-digital and digitized media rather than physical heritage objects.
• Library of Congress National Digital Stewardship Alliance: The U.S. national library's digital preservation program and convening alliance of memory institutions. Comparable to CHI in advancing standards-based digital preservation and producing authoritative metadata formats, but operating at federal scale rather than as a small specialized nonprofit.
• Smithsonian 3D Digitization: Smithsonian Institution's program to create 3D digital models of museum collections using photogrammetry and structured light scanning. Comparable to CHI in using similar computational photography technologies for cultural heritage preservation, but operating as part of a much larger museum conglomerate with broader resources.
• Europeana: EU-funded digital platform providing access to millions of cultural heritage items from European museums, galleries, libraries, and archives. Comparable to CHI as a digital cultural heritage platform supporting interoperability standards, though serving as an aggregation layer rather than a capture technology provider.

Others

• ICOMOS: International Council on Monuments and Sites, the global advisory body for cultural heritage conservation standards and policy. Comparable as a heritage-sector ecosystem participant where CHI's standards-based approach (CIDOC/CRM, METS) connects into the broader conservation policy infrastructure.
• Visual Computing Lab (CNR Italy): Italian National Research Council research laboratory in Pisa co-developing RelightLab with CHI. Comparable as an adjacent research organization developing computational imaging methods for cultural heritage, and a strategic technology partner rather than a competitor.
• Sketchfab: 3D model hosting and sharing platform (acquired by Epic Games) where CHI publishes photogrammetry outputs such as the LACMA Assyrian Genie bas relief. Comparable as a publishing/distribution layer in the cultural heritage 3D ecosystem, and a complementary rather than competing platform.
• Agisoft: Commercial photogrammetry software vendor whose Metashape Pro product CHI recommends in training curricula. Comparable as a key enabling technology supplier in CHI's photogrammetry workflows, and a potential competitor as commodity photogrammetry software continues to mature and simplify.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/culturalheritage/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/127514043954613
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultural-heritage-imaging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Imaging Director, Cultural Heritage Imaging