The recent fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro and the ravaging of monuments in Palmyra by the so-called Islamic State remind us that features of humanity's shared cultural heritage can be erased in an instant. An effort to digitally preserve what remains, Open Heritage is an open-access collection that allows users to take 3D tours of iconic locations from around the world. The effort uses laser scanning and photogrammetry to document and digitally reconstruct heritage sites and share them widely. On the page linked above, users can scroll to begin their digital journeys to sites such as Ayutthaya, Thailand's historic capital; the Temple of Apollo in Portara, Greece; the desert cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde; or the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Visitors can also watch videos explaining the project, read notes from the field workers who capture and digitize these places, learn about the technology deployed in digital conservation, and even download data to reuse and remix. Open Heritage is a production of Google Arts & Culture, in collaboration with CyArk and the University of South Florida Libraries Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections.
Comments