Standardized Reflection Transformation Imaging (RTI) for Documentation and Research

Reflection Transformation Imaging (RTI) is a powerful tool to capture the surface of an object for later examination [1]. We brought RTI to the next level regarding reproducibility, simplicity and image quality [2]. Besides the possibility to capture the surface topography, we can measure and reproduce materials composed of complex reflectance behaviours, with high colour and gloss fidelity. Full-featured cross-platform software for the creation and viewing of such enhanced RTIs has been developed and commercialized. The application allows simple interaction and comparison of RTI datasets. However, the crucial feature of RTIs is their interactivity and the possibility to individualize viewing configurations for specific surface examinations. In the context of image interoperability, it is essential to be able to describe such viewing configurations to ensure reproducibility, e.g.in case of collaborative work. The trend of linked open data shows that RTIs as well must follow open access rules. The success of standardized access to image data is demonstrated well by the international image interoperability framework (IIIF). In this paper, we address two issues: The importance of standardized web-access to RTI data as well as an approach to store and disseminate specific RTI viewing configurations.