By applying evolving virtual reality technology to the preservation
of ancient artifacts, the world will have a unique opportunity to
virtually visit the Temple
BOSTON & OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The threat of losing Lukang Longshan Temple, one of the most revered
Buddhist monasteries in all of Taiwan, is finally gone. Using the latest
in reality capture technology, the Lukang Longshan Temple has been
digitally protected thanks to CyArk and Iron Mountain Incorporated
(NYSE: IRM), two organizations dedicated to preserving world heritage
sites.
First designated a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture in 1983,
the temple contains a wealth of rarely seen wooden sculpture including
carved pillars, and an incredible caisson (spider web) ceiling
supported on dougong (interlacing wooden brackets). Measuring
over 5,000 square meters, the Longshan Temple dates to the 18th
century (Ming Dynasty) and is one of the most revered Buddhist
Monasteries in all of Taiwan owing to its architectural beauty and
spiritual significance. This, the largest temple in Lukang Township, is
also its oldest Buddhist site, dedicated to the bodhisattva, Guanyin,
a female symbol of mercy venerated by Mahayana Buddhists.
Unfortunately, Longshan Temple is at risk from the forces of both man
and nature. The threat of destruction from these forces has never been
higher, making world heritage sites like the Lukang Longshan Temple more
endangered from terrorism, intentional destruction, rising sea levels,
acid rain, excessive tourism and urban sprawl. Longshan Temple is
especially vulnerable, as it sits atop a tectonically active region
called the “Ring of Fire,” home of an estimated 90 percent of all the
world’s earthquakes.
In March of this year, a team from CyArk traveled to Taiwan to digitally
scan and capture the Longshan Temple. Using 3-D scanning technology, the
team captured both internal and external imaging scans of the Longshan
Temple, and used drones to aerially capture data as well. That data was
then rendered by CyArk’s technology team into 3-D imagery that allows
the Longshan Temple to be viewed online by anyone in the world.
“Now, no matter what the future holds, we will have a record of this
site and an ability to restore the temple,” said CyArk Field Manager,
Ross Davison. “A researcher in the twenty-second century will now be
able to virtually visit Lukang and conduct their research in the virtual
environment—it will literally be like stepping back in time.”
Additionally, for the first time, CyArk has also integrated virtual
reality (VR) technology capabilities so that the Longshan Temple can be
“toured” as if you are really there. Using the free Sketchfab
platform, visitors will have the opportunity to come face-to-face with
the intricate ceiling of the Buddhist temple.
“Most exciting of all, is that all of these extraordinarily beautiful
architectural features will be accessible to everyone. Thanks to the
generous support of Iron Mountain this is the first time the Longshan
Temple will be available to virtually tour through the website or a VR
mobile device,” says Mike Evans, CEO of CyArk.
CyArk is a non-profit leading the field work of capturing the precious
data. The work was supported onsite by the China University of
Technology (CUTe). Iron Mountain, the global leader in storage and
information management, is the sole corporate sponsor of the project
through its Living Legacy Initiative, providing funding and in-kind data
storage and protection services. Since 2012, Iron Mountain has supported
CyArk’s mission to preserve world heritage sites in five years. To date,
CyArk has digitally preserved more than 200 sites on all seven
continents.
“Our support of CyArk and projects like the Lukang Longshan Temple are
the embodiment of our philanthropic focus on preserving our shared
cultural heritage,” said Ty Ondatje, senior vice president of Corporate
Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer for Iron Mountain. “Our
customers trust us with their most precious assets. We take that
responsibility very seriously. Our Living Legacy Initiative allows us to
extend that trust to our communities where we live and work all over the
world, ensuring that our shared heritage remains preserved and protected
for generations to come.”
Visit
Lukang Longshan Temple on CyArk.org
View the Temple
Roof and the Dragon
Pillar in VR on Sketchfab
About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM)
is the global leader in storage and information management services.
Trusted by more than 220,000 organizations around the world, Iron
Mountain boasts a real estate network of more than 80 million square
feet across more than 1,350 facilities in 45 countries dedicated to
protecting and preserving what matters most for its customers. Iron
Mountain’s solutions portfolio includes records
management, data
management, document
management, data
centers, art
storage and logistics, and secure
shredding, helping organizations to lower storage costs, comply with
regulations, recover from disaster, and better use their information.
Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of
information assets, including critical business documents, electronic
information, medical data and cultural and historical artifacts. Visit www.ironmountain.com
for more information.
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 most
precious heritage sites are protected and never lost or forgotten by
digitally archiving the sites and making this unique footage accessible
to the general public. www.cyark.org
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160627005227/en/
Source: Iron Mountain