In order to improve security, authorities in Gansu Province in northwest China have just finished creating a three-dimensional database that digitally maps the Great Wall.
In order to improve security, authorities in Gansu Province in northwest China have just finished creating a three-dimensional database that digitally maps the Great Wall.
According to Bai Yuzhang, a staff member of the Shandan cultural relic protection bureau, the database contains all the data gathered through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) field scans and air remote sensing technology and produces millimeter-level high-precision 3D images of various sections of the Great Wall in Shandan County in Zhangye City. The 3,654 km-long Great Wall sections in Gansu.
The Gansu Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau has implemented more than 30 protection projects in the last few years, using digital technology as a novel strategy.
Over 200 kilometres long and thought to be in good condition, the Shandan section of the Great Wall was primarily constructed between the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The primary elements are the sections that already exist in Xiakou Village.
“Over a long period of time, the Xiakou Great Wall has experienced severe weathering erosion. It now seems to have peeling, porosity, cracking, and other problems as a result,” according to Bai, other artefacts like historic street buildings and beacon towers have also sustained varying degrees of damage.
The Xiakou section has undergone a number of restoration projects over the last two years, and in 2021, the local government will begin the digitalization project.
The technical team captured images of the Great Wall and its surroundings using UAV photography and remote sensing mapping technologies, which covered an area of about 25 square km.
Data analysis was then used to create panoramic 3D models. These digital technologies, according to Lin Haitao, a member of the project’s technical team, can gather precise data quickly.
According to Lin, the 3D models have a resolution of up to two millimetres and accurately replicate the textures found on the surface of the wall.
The database has been finished after more than a year of data collection and analysis, and the system is currently undergoing a trial run and getting ready for final acceptance.
The benefit of digitization, according to Bai, is that it can overcome time and space constraints, giving users sufficient access to the resources’ rich historical and cultural connotations. The database is the “foundation for future research, protection, and application of the Great Wall heritage,” he continued. It contains priceless historical information about cultural artefacts.
This project, which offers a novel approach for heritage protection and research, is among the first batch of digital protection projects for the Great Wall in Gansu, according to Zhang Li, a tourism official from Shandan County.
“Thanks to cutting-edge digital technology, we can preserve, discover, and explore the magnificent cultural treasures that ancient people left behind. We plan to conduct research and produce a range of digital Great Wall products in the future,” he added.