A new approach to digitize cultural heritage - Source SGGP News

By sggp.org.vn - 05/11/2023

Digitizing heritage is not only an inevitable trend of the technological age; Facing the challenges of time, digitalization is also an effective solution to preserve and promote heritage values.

Does not replace direct contact

The museum system and heritage sites in Vietnam have been implementing digitization projects over the past five years, especially following the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. This effort has enabled museums and heritage sites to reach the public in various ways, including online, thereby enhancing the historical and educational value of the heritage. Popular among these is the application of Virtual 360 solutions and 3D models of exhibited artifacts, allowing viewers to experience the heritage in a vivid and intuitive manner, even when they are unable to visit in person. The development of the "virtual museum" model also presents opportunities to increase revenue, although in reality, the financial outcomes have not met expectations.

Many opinions pose the opposite problem, when there is no longer social distancing and close geographical conditions, visitors will probably choose to go directly to museums and monuments to admire and interact; More interesting than sitting in front of a computer or phone screen. Cultural heritage researchers also give the opinion that the success of digitizing heritage does not mean that many people watch online, but that going online will attract more direct visitors to the museum. Otherwise, after digitization, museums, monuments... will only have caretakers and managers left.

Research and build a unified digital platform for managing and preserving data in the field of cultural heritage; scalable for localities and organizations to connect and integrate with other information systems of the Government, localities and related organizations

Excerpt from the Program to digitize Vietnamese cultural heritage for the period 2021-2030 approved by the Prime Minister

Besides, technological solutions such as Virtual 360 and 3D modeling of artifacts cannot be a substitute for assessing the current status of the building, detecting problems that need to be preserved and determining restoration solutions. appropriate conservation.

Heritage building information model

Facing the challenge of time and the speed of urbanization, some relics have become ruins, posing more requirements for heritage conservation than just posting images and videos on the website.

The Notre Dame Cathedral restoration project in Paris (France) is the most convincing proof that heritage digitization must be understood and practiced properly. The fire in 2019 destroyed much of the church's roof, bell tower and internal wooden structures. Luckily, all of these details were 3D laser scanned by Ubisoft - the developer of the video game Assassin's Creed - in 2014.

Researchers and engineers used this 3D laser scan data to create a detailed H-BIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling) model of the church, helping to determine its location. Location and size of destroyed structures. This model has also been used to create plans for church restoration more quickly and efficiently.

Globally, heritage digitization is becoming an important trend, in which H-BIM application plays an indispensable role. As the unit implementing the project to digitize the City Theater in 2020, a representative of Port - Marine Engineering Design Consulting Joint Stock Company shared: "Assessing the current status of the project is the first important step in the process. conservation process, helping experts identify problems with the structure, materials, etc. of the building, from which appropriate solutions can be proposed. Detecting problems that need to be preserved is necessary to prevent prevent deterioration of the structure. Issues that need to be preserved may include cracks, cracks, landslides... Determining appropriate restoration and conservation solutions is necessary to ensure durability. sustainability of the building. Restoration and conservation solutions need to be done carefully and scientifically, so as not to affect the historical and cultural value of the building. If only applying Virtual 360 and doing 3D modeling of some artifacts is not actually digitizing monuments and heritage but must comply with UNESCO's procedures guiding H-BIM."

Vietnam has now proactively established a solid legal framework to guide and support the application of H-BIM for heritage buildings. Furthermore, the combination of BIM and geographic information system (GIS) opens up a new approach to digitizing heritage, helping to preserve and enhance their accessibility. The actual needs and legal framework for guidance already exist, but the application still depends on each place, based on many objective and subjective factors... Therefore, up to now, the process of digitizing heritage has only just begun. stopping at bringing physical space to a digital platform, but not truly digitizing heritage to ensure preservation and restoration when necessary.

No matter how beautiful or unique monuments are, they are not beyond the challenge of time. Digitization to preserve and promote heritage is in an urgent situation, but to be effective, it must be done. correct method.

The H-BIM process according to UNESCO's guidelines includes 4 main stages: Stage 1, survey and planning, including site survey, elevation, section, structure, materials..., from there Plan H-BIM implementation with specific goals, scope, time, and resources; Phase 2, data collection includes measurement data, photos, 3D laser scans, drawings, design documents, documentary photos, information about materials, structures...; Phase 3, focuses on analyzing and processing data to create an H-BIM model; Phase 4, effectively sharing and managing data to serve the purposes of conservation, restoration, management...