CyArk will Develop Low-cost Emergency Documentation Kit
November 23, 2015 – Oakland, CA—CyArk has been selected as one of fifteen recipients of a grant from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) to develop, disseminate, and test a low cost documentation kit and mobile application to empower local stakeholders to document the heritage in their care and in their communities. The proposal competed against 62 applications received this year.
The goal of the National Park Service’s Technology and Training grants is to fund innovative research, training, and publications that develop new technologies or adapt existing technologies to preserve cultural resources.
CyArk’s grant proposed to develop a low cost documentation kit to empower local stakeholders to document the heritage in their care and in their communities. Initially, the kit will be geared towards heritage professionals, with a goal to subsequently develop a solution for crowd-sourcing data.
“These projects bring the best skills and technology of the present to preserve the treasures of the past for future generations,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “With the Centennial of the National Park Service approaching in 2016, we continue to adapt and improve preservation methods so that these historic places are around for our Bicentennial.”
“CyArk is thrilled to be awarded a grant from the NCPTT,” said CyArk Vice President, Elizabeth Lee. “They have been leaders in pushing the boundaries of applied research within the US for many years and we are excited to have their support for this project in a time when it is critically needed.”
The grant is being further leveraged through the generous donation of matching funds from CyArk’s long-term data archiving partner, Iron Mountain, which has allocated funding for research and development of technological solutions for the documentation of at-risk heritage.
About CyArk:
CyArk is an international nonprofit organization that uses 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry, and traditional survey techniques to create an online, 3D library of the world’s cultural heritage sites before they are lost to natural disasters, destroyed by human aggression, or ravaged by the passage of time. Spurred by the Taliban’s destruction of the 1600 year-old Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, CyArk was founded in 2003 to ensure that the world’s collective heritage is available to future generations, while also making it uniquely accessible today.
About the National Park Service:
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 407 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
About the NCPTT:
The National Park Service’s National Center for Preservation Technology and Training strives to create new technologies and training opportunities to preserve prehistoric and historic resources throughout the United States. Since 1994, the center has awarded more than $9.2 million in grants to fund science and technology-based projects in historic preservation.