Cultural heritages include rich information related to social, historical and cultural values. Affected by climate, environmental and other factors, some valuable heritage information is threatened through destruction or disappearance, and some is still not utilized sufficiently. How to investigate and utilize such information effectively is a significant scientific and technological issue. Archaeologists, museologists and conservators are working on issues such as the excavation of precious heritage items, the exhibiting of this valuable information and the strengthening of their outline structure, which aims to conserve and utilize the heritage items as well as their values.

The development of information technology has shown its significant role in large and fast digitalization, personalization and so on. Information technology is more and more important in heritage preservation, including, but not limited to, digitalization, digitally-aided research, conservation, exhibition and utilization. First introduced in the 1980s, information technology was initially used to store information about relics, and then some digitalization and exhibition applications were implemented. Currently, information technology is applied in many different aspects in heritage information preservation. Digitalization can store the heritage information in digital format therefore prolonging the “life” of the heritage items. Digitally-aided research technologies can help to improve the effect and efficiency of the archaeological research. Digitally-aided conservation technologies can simulate the conservation effect and monitor the heritage items in real-time, hence avoiding unpredicted losses. Digital exhibition technologies can remove the time and space limitations of traditional exhibitions, and can also exhibit the implicit values more vividly. Digital utilization can synthetically utilize the historical, cultural and scientific values of cultural heritage items by applying modern science and technology