Alexandru FILIMON (Compass, Piatra Neamț) at FERM 2025: “Digitalizing Cultural Heritage – A Bridge Between Past and Future”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
Culture and Regional Identity – Tradition, Innovation, and Social Cohesion
Speaker:
Alexandru Filimon – Compass Company, Piatra Neamț
Presentation Topic:
“Cultural Innovation and Digitalization – New Ways of Engaging the Public”
Present at this year’s Regional Economic Forum Moldova (FERM), Alexandru Filimon, representative of Compass Company from Piatra Neamț, brought to the audience’s attention a highly topical subject for the world of culture and the creative industry: the digitalization of cultural and religious heritage.
His intervention, delivered within the Panel 10 – Culture and Regional Identity, highlighted how new technologies can support the conservation, accessibility, and transmission of heritage objects to future generations.
Why is heritage digitalization necessary?
“We do digitalization for conservation, accessibility, and data transmission”, emphasized Alexandru Filimon, explaining that these processes have multiple advantages: from creating a digital archive for emergencies – such as earthquakes or fires that could affect historical monuments – to democratized and global access to heritage, without requiring the public to physically visit a cultural site to appreciate it.
Thus, digitalization opens doors to education, virtual tours, and the development of creative industries, while providing indispensable technical support in restoration or modernization processes of monuments.
Modern technologies for cultural preservation
Compass Company uses methods such as photogrammetry and 3D scanning to digitalize heritage objects and religious monuments. Teams of engineers and architects have already launched large-scale projects, scanning churches, towers, and other historic buildings. These highly detailed datasets can later be used for documentation and research, as well as for 3D printing of the digitalized objects.
“We can create objects smaller or larger, up to entire churches, domes, and interiors, preserving all the details”, Filimon illustrated, showing images of scanned iconostases, altar parts, or church domes. Moreover, these scans are accompanied by photographs and digital models, forming a true archive of monuments.
Centralization and cooperation at the European level
An important point of the intervention focused on the need to centralize and connect national digital platforms with European ones. Filimon emphasized that only through such integration can the general accessibility and international visibility of Romanian heritage be ensured. At the same time, he noted that this process requires significant investments in equipment and software, as the amount of data generated from scans is very high and requires advanced storage and transmission solutions.
Concrete applications and local collaborations
A relevant example mentioned was collaboration with a parish managing the Ștefan Tower, where technical problems related to the lightning rod required scanning for a new project.
“Any restoration or expansion project of a historical monument requires such digital documentation,” emphasized Alexandru Filimon, recalling that digital archiving not only protects heritage but also facilitates decision-making for future interventions.
Conclusion
The message delivered by Alexandru Filimon within Panel 10 at FERM 2025 demonstrated that cultural heritage digitalization is no longer merely a technological experiment but a necessity for the future. In the face of natural risks, gradual degradation, or infrastructure issues, 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and digital archiving represent essential tools for keeping the historical memory of communities alive. At the same time, technology paves the way toward culture accessible to everyone, whether tourists, students, or researchers from Romania, Europe, or any part of the world.
Through the projects presented, Compass Piatra Neamț demonstrates that Romania has the capacity to become an active player in the European process of centralizing and promoting digital heritage. If these initiatives are supported through coherent public policies and investments in digital infrastructure, Moldova and the entire country can transform heritage into a strategic resource for education, tourism, and cultural identity. Ultimately, digitalization does not only protect the past but also serves as a means to make it work for the future.
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
Culture and Regional Identity – Tradition, Innovation, and Social Cohesion
Speaker:
Alexandru Filimon – Compass Company, Piatra Neamț
Presentation Topic:
“Cultural Innovation and Digitalization – New Ways of Engaging the Public”
Present at this year’s Regional Economic Forum Moldova (FERM), Alexandru Filimon, representative of Compass Company from Piatra Neamț, brought to the audience’s attention a highly topical subject for the world of culture and the creative industry: the digitalization of cultural and religious heritage.
His intervention, delivered within the Panel 10 – Culture and Regional Identity, highlighted how new technologies can support the conservation, accessibility, and transmission of heritage objects to future generations.
Why is heritage digitalization necessary?
“We do digitalization for conservation, accessibility, and data transmission”, emphasized Alexandru Filimon, explaining that these processes have multiple advantages: from creating a digital archive for emergencies – such as earthquakes or fires that could affect historical monuments – to democratized and global access to heritage, without requiring the public to physically visit a cultural site to appreciate it.
Thus, digitalization opens doors to education, virtual tours, and the development of creative industries, while providing indispensable technical support in restoration or modernization processes of monuments.
Modern technologies for cultural preservation
Compass Company uses methods such as photogrammetry and 3D scanning to digitalize heritage objects and religious monuments. Teams of engineers and architects have already launched large-scale projects, scanning churches, towers, and other historic buildings. These highly detailed datasets can later be used for documentation and research, as well as for 3D printing of the digitalized objects.
“We can create objects smaller or larger, up to entire churches, domes, and interiors, preserving all the details”, Filimon illustrated, showing images of scanned iconostases, altar parts, or church domes. Moreover, these scans are accompanied by photographs and digital models, forming a true archive of monuments.
Centralization and cooperation at the European level
An important point of the intervention focused on the need to centralize and connect national digital platforms with European ones. Filimon emphasized that only through such integration can the general accessibility and international visibility of Romanian heritage be ensured. At the same time, he noted that this process requires significant investments in equipment and software, as the amount of data generated from scans is very high and requires advanced storage and transmission solutions.
Concrete applications and local collaborations
A relevant example mentioned was collaboration with a parish managing the Ștefan Tower, where technical problems related to the lightning rod required scanning for a new project.
“Any restoration or expansion project of a historical monument requires such digital documentation,” emphasized Alexandru Filimon, recalling that digital archiving not only protects heritage but also facilitates decision-making for future interventions.
Conclusion
The message delivered by Alexandru Filimon within Panel 10 at FERM 2025 demonstrated that cultural heritage digitalization is no longer merely a technological experiment but a necessity for the future. In the face of natural risks, gradual degradation, or infrastructure issues, 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and digital archiving represent essential tools for keeping the historical memory of communities alive. At the same time, technology paves the way toward culture accessible to everyone, whether tourists, students, or researchers from Romania, Europe, or any part of the world.
Through the projects presented, Compass Piatra Neamț demonstrates that Romania has the capacity to become an active player in the European process of centralizing and promoting digital heritage. If these initiatives are supported through coherent public policies and investments in digital infrastructure, Moldova and the entire country can transform heritage into a strategic resource for education, tourism, and cultural identity. Ultimately, digitalization does not only protect the past but also serves as a means to make it work for the future.
