New I-Site Studio Software Used to Document Rock Art in Australia’s Kakadu National Park
Maptek expertise and software played a key role to capture and digitally preserve Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu National Park for the CyArk 500 challenge.
I-Site Studio software Maptek was used to create a 3D reproduction of historical Aboriginal rock art at Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The CyArk 500 challenge aims to digitally preserve 500 cultural heritage sites using 3D technology within the next 5 years.
Elizabeth Lee, Vice President, CyArk says, ‘We are thrilled to include the data for Kakadu in our archive. It is an incredible site and a fantastic example of Australia’s rich aboriginal history. We are grateful for Maptek donating time and data for this wonderful project.’
The rock art sites of Kakadu are recognized internationally for their cultural value, and are one of the reasons that Kakadu is inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list of World Heritage properties. The purpose of this project was to preserve Australian cultural and heritage listed artifacts in a reproducible and accurate 3D format.
Three locations were scanned during the one-day visit with 17 areas of art captured, each containing multiple pieces.
I-Site Studio software was chosen for its powerful modeling tools. The detailed laser scan data contained up to 74 million points. This data was modeled to create an accurate 3D representation of the environment. High definition digital photographs were captured simultaneously to record the artwork.
The photo registration tools in I-Site Studio allow photographs from digital cameras and other sources to be projected in any orientation onto a surface. Laser intensity data from the infrared signals was used to match points in photos with points in the 3D scene. This took a 2D photo and turned it into a 3D scene.
The final results proved that the method is ideally suited for recording and reconstructing rock art.
About Maptek
Maptek™ is a leading provider of innovative software, hardware and services for the global mining industry. Maptek products are in use at more than 1700 sites in more than 65 countries. Maptek Vulcan™ is one of the world’s longest standing 3D mine planning and modelling packages. Maptek I-Site™ is an integrated hardware and software system for 3D laser scanning, surveying and imaging. Maptek PerfectDig is an augmented reality system used to evaluate and support design conformance. Maptek BlastLogic™ features intelligent 3D drillhole validation and load design software, and Maptek Eureka™ provides an interactive 3D environment for visualizing and interpreting geophysical and seismic data.
About CyArk 500 Challenge
On October 20-22 at the Tower of London, CyArk will formally launch the CyArk 500 Challenge to digitally preserve 500 cultural heritage sites within the next five years. Cyark is on a mission to save cultural heritage sites digitally before more are ravaged by war, terrorism, arson, urban sprawl, climate change, earthquakes, floods, and other threats. While there isn’t enough money or time to physically save every site, CyArk does have the 3D technology to preserve these sites digitally to make them available for future generations.