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Google's 3D scans recreate historical sites threatened by climate change
Google is no stranger to reproducing historical sites online, but it's now pushing technical boundaries to recreate those sites at risk of vanishing due to the ravages of climate change. It's launching a "Heritage on the Edge" collection in Arts & Culture that will include over 50 exhibitions illustrating the effect of an evolving climate on historical landmarks, including five locations recreated in detailed 3D (with 25 models total) using a mix of scans, photogrammetry and drone footage. You can see vivid depictions of the statues at Easter Island's Rapa Nui, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, the trading port of Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, Bangladesh's Mosque City of Bagerhat and Peru's ancient city of Chan Chan.
Google offers access to virtual 3D models of ancient monuments
Historic monuments around the world face threats from natural disasters, tourism and war, which is what led Ben Kacyra to found CyArk -- a non-profit organization working to scan and digitally archive ancient monuments. With laser scanning, photogrammetry, drone imaging and structured light scanning, CyArk's team has been developing detailed, digital 3D images of structures like the Ananda Ok Kyaung temple in Myanmar, the Al Azem Palace in Syria and Chichen Itza in Mexico. Now, Google is making these models available through its Arts & Culture platform.
