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ASU's Hispanic Research Center partners with CyArk
A collaboration to digitize Franciscan sites across the globe
By: Justin Barton
May 10th, 2013

CyArk is pleased to announce our partnership with the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University and their ongoing Saint Francis and the Americas project. Earlier this year at the California Missions Studies Association's annual conference in Santa Barbara, CA, CyArk representatives Tom Greaves and Justin Barton met Dr.

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Announcing the CyArk Advisory Council
Which sites do we save, and how do we decide?
By: Tom Greaves
April 30th, 2013

Our mission at CyArk is to digitally preserve cultural heritage sites using advanced 3D imaging tools. Our purpose is to make the information we collect available in perpetuity for both education and conservation purposes.

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Data Management at the Sydney Opera House
By: Justin Barton
April 26th, 2013

The Sydney Opera House, with its white-tiled, arched “shells” (or “sails”, depending on whom you happen to be speaking too), is a testament to creative genius and design. That, of course, is why it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Sydney Opera House: Press Release
New 3D Sydney Opera House scanning underway to safeguard Australia’s most famous building for future generations
By: Scott Lee
April 18th, 2013

Scottish Ten scan UNESCO World Heritage-listed masterpiece, the only modern building included in this historic, global project Sydney Opera House is being surveyed inside and out by a team of laser scanning experts from Scotland to create an extraordinarily detailed, 3D model of Australia’s most famous building.

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Third Avenue Church goes live on CyArk
Saskatoon's 100 year old church is safely archived
By: Jaime Pursuit
April 9th, 2013

CyArk is proud to announce the launch of Saskatoon Canada’s Third Avenue Church on the CyArk website. The project is a result of CyArk’s new Data Donation Partner Program and a collaboration between CyArk, Stantec, Tourism Saskatoon, and of course Third Avenue Church itself.

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CyArk joins transatlantic project to celebrate John Muir
New project to digitally document the homes of conservationist John Muir
By: Elizabeth Lee
April 8th, 2013

A transatlantic project that will digitally document in 3D the homes of Scottish conservationist John Muir using cutting-edge scanning technology was announced by First Minister Alex Salmond in New York today.

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What do 3D printing, cake, and a childhood nickname have in common?
The making of a 3D fudge replica of Tikal
By: Jaime Pursuit
April 4th, 2013

In my humble opinion monikers are confusing to even the brightest of 3 year olds. So when I “somehow” acquired the nickname of Jaime Cakes - and believed Cakes to be my surname- my parents should have stepped in and clarified things.

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Scottish Ten goes to Sydney
Next week the team travels to Australia
By: Justin Barton
March 29th, 2013

Next week the team membersof theScottish Ten project board planes in both Scotland and the USA, some flying east, some flying west, but all converging on Sydney, Australia. Sydney is an iconic modern world city, established as the first British colony on the continental-island in 1788, but long-before occupied for as much as 30,000 years prior by Aboriginal people.

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CyArk Receives First Arctic Heritage Site
SarPoint Engineering Ltd. Donates Data from Fort Conger to Archive
By: Jaime Pursuit
March 29th, 2013

In 1881 Fort Conger was established on Canada's northern Ellesmere Island during the first northern polar scientific expedition. The Fort was funded by the US Government and was therefore named after US Senator Omar D.

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CyArk Receives Positive Feedback from Japanese American Community
San Jose's Japanese American Museum Hosts Successful Interactive Session for Community
By: Elizabeth Lee
March 28th, 2013

On March 16th, 2013 I had the opportunity to present at the Japanese American Museum in San Jose (JAMsj). The presentation was open to the community and focused on presenting the preliminary results from our Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant on virtually reconstructing Manzanar, Topaz and Tule Lake.

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CyArk Presenting at Japanese American Museum of San Jose
By: Justin Barton
March 13th, 2013

Elizabeth Lee, Director of Operations at CyArk, is pleased to be presenting on CyArk's digital preservation efforts at Manzanar, Topaz, and Tule Lake at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose this Saturday.

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Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
Project Concept to Digital Documentation: CyArk & ON Scans Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Lourdes, France.
By: Calvin Kwon
February 26th, 2013

This article is written by Calvin Kwon. Calvin Kwon is a Proejct Manager for Organization & Networks (ON) Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto – a significant Catholic pilgrimage site visited by nearly 6 million pilgrims each year – was digitally documented by CyArk and Organization & Networks (ON) on January 29th, 2013.

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CyArk to participate in the Society for California Archaeology's 2013 Public Day
When: Sunday, March 10, 2013
By: Justin Barton
February 26th, 2013

The Society for California Archaeology (SCA) will be hosting a Public Day at the Berkeley Marina during their 2013 Annual Meeting. The Public Day will bring together participants from archaeology and related disciplines to engage with and educate the public about California's past.

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Climate Change and Historic Cities
By: Divya Jayaram
February 11th, 2013

This article is written by Divya Jayaram. Divya has a Masters in Architectural Conservation from the University of Edinburgh and is currently a volunteer with CyArk Documentation forms the basis for any conservation project.

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CyArk partners with Science Visualization to create Exhibitions
SuperScan: Digitizing the World will bring 3D data from heritage sites to museums around the world
By: Justin Barton
February 4th, 2013

February 4, 2013 — Science Visualization, a Maryland-based company that brings science to the public through media and exhibitions, today announced its partnership with CyArk, the world leader in digitally preserving world heritage sites.

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VIDEO: Documenting the Eastern Qing Tombs, China
The official Scottish Ten project video
By: Justin Barton
January 30th, 2013

This following video, produced by Historic Scotland, shows the Scottish Ten team digitally documenting the expansive Eastern Qing Tombs in northeast China. Using laser scanning technology to capture some of the monuments of the Tombs, the work was conducted throughout November 2012.

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CyArk to Chair Digital Historic Preservation Track at SPAR
SPAR conference scheduled for April 15-18 in Colorado Springs
By: Elizabeth Lee
January 29th, 2013

CyArk is proud to serve as the Digital Historic Preservation Track Chair for the 2013 SPAR International Conference. The annual SPAR International conference brings 3D professionals together to acquire practical skills for using the latest 3D tools and workflows to work better, faster, smarter, safer.

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Digital Preservation of Mission San Juan Bautista
CyArk documents its fourth Mission of El Camino Real de California
By: Alexander Reinhold
January 25th, 2013

Mission San Juan Bautista, located about 90 miles south of San Francisco, was founded in June 1797 by Fr. Fermin de Lasuen. It was the fifteenth of twenty-one missions established in Alta California. Construction of the current church began in 1803 and is the widest of all the mission churches with its three aisles.

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Data Management at the Eastern Qing Tombs
The data challenges for the largest scale Scottish Ten Project to date
By: Justin Barton
January 18th, 2013

The Eastern Qing Tombs is made up of 15 separate tomb complexes for emperors, emperoresses, and emperial concubines. The third international Scottish Ten project focused on just two of these tombs, but their digital preservation was no small task: Two tombs, six kilometers of processual ways, ten bridges, six towers, four stela, 46 statues, and over 20 ancillary structures awaited reality capture by the team upon arrival.

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The Technology of the Eastern Qing Tomb's Digital Preservation
A Technology Blog for the Scottish Ten China project
By: James Hepher, Alastair Rawlinson
January 18th, 2013

This article was written by James Hepher, HS Surveyor, and Alastair Rawlinson, DDS Head of Data Capture. Weeks Two and Three on the Scottish Ten project here at the Eastern Qing tombs near Zunhua, China, has been all about integrating new cutting edge technology into our busy survey programme.

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CyArk and the Scottish Ten at the Eastern Qing Tombs
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 28th, 2012

This week marks the close of fieldwork at the Eastern Qing Tombs in China. The project is the third international project of the Scottish Ten, following Mount Rushmore in the United States and Rani Ki Vav in India.

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CyArk and Zynga.org Partner to Digitally Preserve Ancient Mayan Sites
Players of Zynga’s popular Hidden Chronicles game can now support CyArk’s mission
By: Jaime Pursuit
November 20th, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, California, November 19, 2012 – CyArk and Zynga.org have teamed up to preserve our cultural heritage sites -- the tangible representations of humanity’s shared past. Players of Zynga’s popular Hidden Chronicles game can now support CyArk’s digital preservation projects on Mayan sites in Mexico and Central America, as well as other heritage sites around the world by participating in a new Zynga.

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Mount Rushmore Lesson Plans Now Available
Local SD teachers, the NPS, and CyArk collaborated to create ten K-12 lesson plans compliant with Common Core Standards
By: Blaine Kortemeyer
November 8th, 2012

This article is written by special guest blogger Blaine Kortemeyer. Blaine works as the Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education as well as being one of the Preservation Team members for Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

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DigiDoc 2012 Recap
Douglas Pritchard provides a conference summary
By: Douglas Pritchard
October 30th, 2012

Last week Digidoc 12 was held at the Royal College of Sugeons’ Hall in theatrically mist-filled streets of Edinburgh Scotland. Over 200 people from the UK, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and South Korea attended our event.

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Digital El Camino Real de California goes live at Old Mission Dolores
New 3D technologies used to save California's oldest buildings
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 25th, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 25, 2012 -- Andrew Galvan, curator of Old Mission Dolores, San Francisco's oldest building debuted CyArk's virtual tour and 3D visualization of the mission in San Francisco today.

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Sydney Opera House Announced as Next Scottish Ten Site
Next International Project Announced at Digidoc in Edinburgh
By: Justin Barton
October 22nd, 2012

October 22, 2012: Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop today announced that Sydney Opera House will be the fourth international site to be digitally scanned by the Scottish Ten team.

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CyArk Participates at EuroMed 2012 in Cyprus
EuroMed Digital Cultural Heritage Conference in Cyprus
By: Tom Greaves
October 22nd, 2012

Next week the 4th International Euro-Mediterranean Conference (EuroMed 2012) opens in Cyprus. The event which runs from October 29 to November 3 will be attended by hundreds of cultural heritage professionals, researchers, policy makers and technologists from all over the world.

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Project Update: Virtual Reconstruction of Manzanar, Topaz and Tule Lake
CyArk's Progress on the 2011 JACS Grant
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 12th, 2012

CyArk is in the final stages of the work to virtually reconstruct three sites through a grant from the National Park Service's Japanese American Confinement Sites program. In 2011, CyArk began a project to utilize new digital tools to share the history of the unjust treatment of over 110,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

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CyArk to Launch CyArk Europe at Digidoc in October
CyArk to announce European office with Douglas Pritchard at the helm
By: Elizabeth Lee
September 28th, 2012

CyArk to launch CyArk Europe Limited at Digidoc 2012, October 22-23 in Edinburgh. With Douglas Pritchard at the helm, CyArk Europe will advance CyArk’s mission to digitally preserve heritage sites and structures in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

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Digital Preservation of Mission San Luis Rey
CyArk continues its efforts to document El Camino Real
By: Justin Barton
September 27th, 2012

Mission San Luis Rey was founded in June 1798 as the eighteenth Spanish mission established in California. It is named after Saint Louis IX, King of France. The current church structure dates to 1811 and by 1830 it was the largest building in California.

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Digidoc 2012 Announced
Annual conference on new technologies for archaeology, architecture, design and cultural resources
By: Elizabeth Lee
September 7th, 2012

Earlier this week Historic Scotland announced the annual Digidoc conference. Digidoc is the leading international conference on digital documentation and visualisation in relation to architecture, design, heritage and new media.

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IBM Supports CyArk's Education Program
CyArk to collaborate on STEM initiative with Teachers TryScience
By: Jaime Pursuit
August 31st, 2012

CyArk is thrilled to announce the receipt of a cash grant from IBM. The grant will go towards supporting the integration of CyArk’s educational content into IBM’s Teachers TryScience platform. This grant is particularly exciting given the natural overlap in CyArk’s mission and reach and IBM’s desire to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

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Artifact Digital Preservation at Mt Rushmore
NPS Staff learn Photogrammetry to create Virtual Museum 3D objects
By: Justin Barton
August 29th, 2012

This year CyArk has been working closely with our partners at Mt Rushmore National Memorial and Autodesk to digitally preserve artifacts within the park's collection using photogrammetric techniques. In May 2012 Autodesk and CyArk conducted a first stage test of Autodesk's 123D Catch software by documenting a handful of artifacts, ranging in size, material, and geometry.

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CyArk's First High School Techology Center
Santa Ynez Valley Union High Acquires 3D Data Capture Tools and Training
By: Justin Barton
August 20th, 2012

For a week in early August (8/6/12 - 8/10/12), I worked closely with Ronald "Chip" Fenenga of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School (SYVUHS) to train him in CyArk's digital preservation methods and standards.

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By: El Camino Real
August 1st, 2012

CyArk requests the pleasure of your company for the Digital El Camino Real Launch at Mission Dolores 5-7pm, Thursday, October 25th at Mission Dolores 3321 16th Street, San Francisco - free parking in the Mission Dolores school yard off Church Street R.

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CyArk Releases New Online 3D Viewer
Interact with our 3D point clouds and models right in your browser!
By: Landon Silla
July 31st, 2012

With the major advancements in browser technologies in the past few years, CyArk has been working on a brand new Online 3D Viewer to help serve our mission of providing realistic, meaningful, useful, and interactive content to our viewers.

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Virtual Manzanar
CyArk and NPS Previewed a Digital Reconstruction of Manzanar to the Public on July 23, 2012
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 31st, 2012

On the afternoon of Monday, July 23, 2012, I was at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, CA. Along with staff from Manzanar National Historic Site, CyArk unveiled its first draft of a digital reconstruction of Manzanar circa 1944.

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Bringing Digital Preservation to El Camino Real of California
CyArk scans the first of 21 missions: Mission Dolores of San Francisco
By: Alexander Reinhold
July 27th, 2012

CyArk and its network of partners have been working this year to bring digital preservation technologies to El Camino Real of California, the historic route also known as the "California Mission Trail", which follows the Spanish colonization of California.

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CyArk and NPS Unveil Preview of Manzanar Digital Reconstruction
The public is invited to a special preview at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles
By: Taline Ayanyan
July 9th, 2012

CyArk is excited to unveil the in-progress digital reconstruction of Manzanar for public preview and comment. Through a unique partnership with the National Park Service, CyArk is working to create a digital reconstruction of Manzanar circa 1944.

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CyArk to Host Panel at NCPTT Digital Summit
CyArk leads discussion on digital data management in San Francisco
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 9th, 2012

This week in San Francisco's historic Presidio, CyArk will participate in the 3D Digital Documentation Summit hosted by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. The conference runs from July 10-12 and will cover a number of different technologies and case studies.

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Video Blog: South African Technology Center Update
Digitally preserving rock art at Kruger National Park
By: Justin Barton
June 29th, 2012

At the end of May I traveled to northern South Africa with our Technology Center partners, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the African Conservation Trust. The project's aim was to provide a second round of training, oversight, and methodology development with the Tech Center staff and students.

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How I Learned About 3D Printing from CyArk
A guest blog from a Middle School Science Fair
By: Zachary McDonald
June 26th, 2012

Earlier in 2012, as a part of my 2012 Science Fair Project at St. Catherine School, I wanted to learn about 3D printing. I started by researching what exactly 3D printing is and how it’s already used by many different industries today.

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CyArk Digital Preservation Station at Mount Rushmore
Stop by to get hands-on experience in 3D documentation of artifacts!
By: Justin Barton
June 25th, 2012

The CyArk Digital Preservation Station will be open throughout the July 3rd Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Members of the public are encouraged to visit the station throughout the day to gain experience with 3D capture, digital modeling, and 3D printing while helping CyArk digitally preserve Mount Rushmore’s history for the virtual enjoyment of the world.

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Mount Rushmore Introduces Digital Preservation Project
Official Rapid City Launch of the 5 Year Program
By: Elizabeth Lee
June 15th, 2012

KEYSTONE, SD: The National Park Service announces the official launch of the Mount Rushmore Digital Preservation project. At a press event held this week in Rapid City, the National Park Service and partners Kacyra Family Foundation/ CyArk (CyArk) unveiled the results of a multi-year digital preservation project.

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CyArk and NPS Launch Mount Rushmore Mobile App
Project partners release an educational mobile app featuring a virtual tour of the sculpture and 3D content
By: Taline Ayanyan
June 13th, 2012

Rapid City, South Dakota: Project partners of the Mount Rushmore digital preservation project announce the launch of the official National Park Service mobile app featuring a virtual tour of the Mountain Sculpture and park grounds, as well as selected 3D content resulting from the laser scanning of the park.

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CyArk Partners in Google World Wonders Project
Google launches new virtual tourism tool for heritage sites
By: Elizabeth Lee
June 1st, 2012

On May 31st at an event held in Madrid, Google announced its new World Wonders Project. Led by Google’s Street View technology, the World Wonders Project allows users to virtually explore and discover a diverse range of heritage sites from 17 countries.

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Xochicalco: Scanning Field Report
A recap of the field documentation from Xochicalco
By: Elizabeth Lee
May 31st, 2012

The week of May 14th CyArk kicked off a multi-year program with Mexico’s National Institute for History and Anthropology (INAH). The program, titled the Sacred Cities of Ancient Mexico involves the digital preservation of 11 major UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Mexico, including Teotihuacan, Chichen Itza, and Palenque.

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CyArk to Digitally Preserve Xochicalco
CyArk begins a major initiative in Mexico
By: Elizabeth Lee
May 16th, 2012

Instituto Nacional de Anthropologia y Historia (INAH) has developed a groundbreaking partnership with CyArk. The joint program, the Sacred Cities of Ancient Mexico, will digitally preserve 11 of Mexico’s major cultural heritage sites.

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CyArk Winner in EMC's Heritage Trust Project Contest
Winnings will help CyArk digitally preserve San Francisco's Mission Dolores
By: Jaime Pursuit
May 16th, 2012

CyArk is extremely honored to announce that we've received the second prize in EMC's Heritage Trust Project Contest. We'd like to thank all the CyArk supporters who made this win possible by voting for us on the contest's Facebook page in April.

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Ben Kacyra speaks at the Commonwealth Club on May 10th
Couldn't attend TED Global last July in Edinburgh?
By: Scott Lee
May 2nd, 2012

Here's your chance to hear CyArk's founder Ben Kacyra speak about CyArk's work to digitally preserve the California Missions and El Camino Real, as well as other global heritage sites in the CyArk 500.

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CyArk's Tom Greaves featured in LiDAR Magazine
An Interview with CyArk's Executive Director, Tom Greaves
By: Scott Lee
May 1st, 2012

CyArk's Executive Director, Tom Greaves, gives an insightful interview for the latest issue of LiDAR Magazine. In the article Tom discusses how his early upbringing and education guided his career choices around technology, math, and science.

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Help CyArk win $15,000
CyArk selected as one of seven finalists in the EMC Heritage Trust Project
By: Elizabeth Lee
April 13th, 2012

CyArk has been selected as one of seven finalists in EMC's Heritage Trust Project. The EMC Heritage Trust Project recognizes and supports digital stewardship of the world's information heritage in local communities.

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Project Launch: Titanic Database Project
Exclusive footage from James Cameron's dive expeditions is now available to the public as part of CyArk's Titanic Database Project
By: Taline Ayanyan
April 12th, 2012

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the most infamous maritime disaster of all time, CyArk is proud to announce the launch of the Titanic Database Project. The project is the result of Director James Cameron's generous donation of dive footage and countless hours of expert volunteers.

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Data Longevity
How will we store digital data for the next 500 years?
By: Tom Greaves
April 5th, 2012

How do we archive heritage documentation so we can be confident we'll be able to retrieve this information next year, in 5 years, in 50 years or 500 years? The United States Library of Congress requires physical, durable materials for heritage documentation; the standard is ink-on-mylar and large format black and white photographs.

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3DReshaper helps CyArk create impressive 3D models of Cultural Heritage icons
CyArk is proud to announce a signed MOU with 3DReshaper
By: Justin Barton
March 28th, 2012

In a continued effort to bring the best tools for digital preservation to our workflow, CyArk has finalized an MOU with Technodigit, the makers of 3DReshaper meshing software. CyArk began testing the software on select projects in 2011 and its power and robust ability to create clean, accurate meshes easily from laser scan data has brought it into our regular workflow for data processing and deliverables creation.

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Ben Kacyra to Speak at Commonwealth Club
CyArk’s founder will present capturing ancient wonders in 3D & the CyArk 500 Challenge
By: Jaime Pursuit
March 21st, 2012

CyArk’s Founder, Ben Kacyra, will be speaking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on May 10th. The United States' oldest and largest public affairs forum, the Commonwealth Club, presents 400 impartial discussions and talks annually to the public and its members on the subjects of politics, economics, culture, and society.

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AIA St. Louis: Lecture by Elizabeth Lee
Lecture Title: Digital Preservation of the World's Cultural Heritage
By: Scott Lee
March 13th, 2012

You are invited to listen to CyArk's Director of Projects and Development, Elizabeth Lee, deliver a lecture tonight on digital preservation to the AIA of St. Louis. Elizabeth will be discussing CyArk's mission and use of technology in the field of archaeology.

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Google's SketchUp Blog Highlights CyArk's Work
Google's official SketchUp blog discusses CyArk's use of the software
By: Justin Barton
March 9th, 2012

As a non-profit, CyArk is a recipient of free licenses for SketchUp Pro through Google's SketchUp for Nonprofits program. Google's SketchUp team recently approached us to write a blog about how we utilize their 3D modeling software toward our mission of digital preservation, education, and dissemination.

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CyArk to Participate in Spar International 2012
Conference on End-to-End 3D in Houston, Texas
By: Elizabeth Lee
March 7th, 2012

CyArk will once again be participating in the annual Spar International Conference, being held April 15-18 in The Woodlands, Texas. Spar is a conference where leading 3D professionals convene to discuss the state of the industry, learn best practices, share ideas across diverse business segments, and compare and qualify hardware and software solutions from all major suppliers.

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Project Launch: San Antonio Missions
CyArk and Partners Launch the San Antonio Missions Digital Preservation Project Website
By: Scott Lee
February 28th, 2012

February 28, 2012: The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park formally announces the launch of the San Antonio Missions Digital Portal, a new way to virtually visit the National Historical Park in San Antonio, Texas in both English and Spanish.

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Help CyArk on Facebook
Take action and Like our Facebook page
By: Justin Barton
February 27th, 2012

CyArk is in the running for a $10,000 advertising grant from Facebook! If won, this grant could drastically help increase our social media presence to spread the word of our mission and foster advocacy for the digital preservation and dissemination of our cultural heritage.

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Executive Order 9066: 70 years later
Preserving the almost forgotten
By: Charisse Sare
February 17th, 2012

February 19th marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States military became wary of the large Japanese-American population on the West Coast.

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Mount Rushmore Digitally Reproduced
The shrine to democracy has re-emerged into the physical world after digitization.
By: Mondrian Hsieh
February 10th, 2012

CyArk has partnered with Ronald Rael, a Professor of Architecture at UC Berkeley, to test a new innovation in the field of rapid prototyping as well as to test our ability to produce media fit for physical production.

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Mount Rushmore Project Launch
CyArk and the National Park Service Launch the Mount Rushmore web portal, allowing visitors to explore an online virtual 'tour' and gain access to 3D models created from laser scanning
By: Taline Ayanyan
January 16th, 2012

The National Park Service and CyArk are extremely excited to kick off the new year with the launch of the much anticipated Mount Rushmore Website, a new way to virtually visit the National Memorial near Keystone, South Dakota.

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Tom Greaves Named Executive Director of CyArk
CyArk adds respected industry leader to senior management team
By: CyArk
January 16th, 2012

Beginning January 2, 2012 Tom Greaves will serve as Executive Director of CyArk. Tom has long been a supporter of CyArk and its mission to digitally preserve our world's cultural heritage.  He began his career as a field engineer working for Schlumberger in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Oman.

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CyArk and Partners Launch the Hopi Petroglyph Sites Web Portal
Official Press Release
By: Taline Ayanyan
December 16th, 2011

CyArk and partners are extremely excited to announce the launch of the Hopi Petroglyph Sites Digital Preservation Project Website. This special Hopi portal on the CyArk website will allow a new generation of Native American youth to learn about and share the legacy of their ancestors.

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Special Message from CyArk Founder, Ben Kacyra
A personal note from Ben
By: Ben Kacyra
December 14th, 2011

Season's Greetings, As 2011 comes to a close, I want to reach out and thank you for your support and contributions over this past year, and to ask you for your continued help as we formally launch The CyArk 500 Challenge.

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CyArk Signs MOU with Dunhuang Academy in China
CyArk finalizes Agreement for First Site in China
By: Elizabeth Lee
December 5th, 2011

CyArk is pleased to announce the signing of an MOU with the Dunhuang Academy for the digital preservation of the Mogao Caves. The caves represent one of the most important sites in China and we are thrilled to welcome the new partnership with Director Fan and the entire Dunhuang Academy.

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CyArk to Speak at Remote Access to World Heritage Sites Conference
Ben Kacyra to keynote international UNESCO Conference
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 22nd, 2011

This week in Edinburgh, CyArk's Ben Kacyra and Elizabeth Lee will be speaking on the topic of Remote Access to World Heritage Sites. The two day conference features delegates from around the world and will cover a range of topics related to the subject of remote access.

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Tule Lake: Relocation Center Laser Scanned by CyArk and CU Denver
A guest blog by Mike Nulty, Technical Coordinator at the University of Colorado Denver's Center for Preservation Research
By: Mike Nulty
November 10th, 2011

As part of a continued partnership between CyArk and The University of Colorado Denver’s Center of Preservation Research (CoPR) in the College of Architecture and Planning, we have teamed up again to help document Japanese American Confinement Sites across the country.

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CyArk Featured on the TED.com Homepage
CyArk Founder Ben Kacyra's TED talk goes live
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 9th, 2011

The morning of November 9, 2011 Ben Kacyra's TED talk went live on the TED.com website. The talk is currently featured on the homepage of TED and within the first eight hours of going live the talk surpassed 25,000 views.

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The CyArk Office: Working Inside an Architectural Landmark
The Breuner Building: Part of the Art Deco Legacy of Downtown Oakland
By: Myasha Nicholas
November 4th, 2011

For over a year, CyArk has been based in downtown Oakland, home to many amazing Art Deco architectural masterpieces. We are fortunate to have our office in the famous Breuner Building. It was designed in 1931 by Albert Roller during the heyday of the Art Deco movement.

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Scanning at the Tule Lake Segregation Center
The next WWII Japanese American Confinement site to get digitally preserved by CyArk
By: Taline Ayanyan
October 28th, 2011

As you may already know, CyArk has been enthusiastically making progress on the project to digitally preserve three out of ten War Relocation Authority Relocation Centers from World War II. Under a grant from the National Park Service's Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, the Topaz Relocation Center was the first to get laser scanned in August, followed by Manzanar in September.

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CyArk and the Scottish Ten Head to India
Historic Scotland, Glasgow School of Art, and CyArk team up to scan Rani Ki Vav
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 21st, 2011

The Scottish Ten team and CyArk began work scanning Rani Ki Vav stepwell in Patan, Gujarat, India this week. This project is the second international site of the Scottish Ten. The first international project was Mt.

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CyArk Surpasses One Million Visits to CyArk.org in 2011
CyArk reaches a milestone with help from over 200 countries
By: Charisse Sare
October 7th, 2011

We are proud to announce that CyArk has surpassed a million visits on our website for the year. At the close of September we had already reached 1.06 million visits. This same time last year we were at about 600,000 views.

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Digidoc 2011 Recap
An update on the exciting week at the Digital Documentation conference in Glasgow, Scotland
By: Elizabeth Lee
September 30th, 2011

Last week marked the always exciting Digital Documentation conference in Glasgow, Scotland. This was the third year of the conference, now shortened to Digidoc, and was truly the best conference yet. CyArk has been very proud to partner and participate in the conference since inception with the key organizing partners Historic Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art.

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CyArk Releases First iPad App
Fort Laramie iPad/iPhone app is now available for download FOR FREE in the iTunes Store
By: Landon Silla
September 26th, 2011

After a great deal of work, CyArk is proud to announce the release of our first iPad app in the iTunes Store. (EDIT: It has subsequently been released for iPhones as well). The Fort Laramie app is available for download here.

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World War II Relocation Center Captured by CyArk
Topaz Center in Delta, Utah, one of ten WRA centers captured for digital reconstruction
By: Taline Ayanyan
September 16th, 2011

The National Park Service (NPS) has partnered with CyArk through the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program to digitally preserve the Topaz Relocation Center. The Topaz Relocation Center is one of three camps to be documented under this grant program through critical partnerships with the University of Colorado, Denver’s Center of Preservation Research and Denshō.

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CyArk Captures New Data at the Presidio of San Francisco
CyArk provides a glimpse into the layered walls at the Officers' Club
By: Taline Ayanyan
September 6th, 2011

On a typical cool Bay Area summer morning, the CyArk team made its way to the Presidio of San Francisco to capture some of the oldest walls ever built in the city. At the heart of the Presidio, these walls make up the structure called the Officers' Club.

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Glasgow Set to Host Digital Documentation Conference
CDDV to Host international conference on 3D capture and digital imaging
By: Elizabeth Lee
September 2nd, 2011

Glasgow is set to host an international conference on digital documentation next month. The Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation (CDDV), a joint venture between Historic Scotland and the Digital Design Studio at the Glasgow School of Art will welcome an international delegation to the city to foster collaboration on the use of 3D technology and digital imaging.

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Elizabeth Lee to Keynote the ISDE Conference
CyArk Keynotes the International Society for a Digital Earth Conference
By: Justin Barton
August 19th, 2011

CyArk's Director of Projects and Development, Elizabeth Lee, to keynote annual international conference. Elizabeth will be speaking about CyArk and our global digital heritage preservation efforts. The ISDE is a non-political, non-governmental and not-for-profit international organization, principally for promotion of academic exchange, science and technology innovation, education, and international collaboration.

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Hawaiian Heritage Sites Update
Hawaiian Heritage sites set to launch on CyArk website soon
By: Annabel Lee Enriquez
July 29th, 2011

Last December, CyArk, with the help of its partners, conducted the field work for the Digital Preservation of three culturally significant Hawaiian sites. Those sites, or wahi pana ("place(s) of significant meaning" in Hawaiian), were Hulihe'e Palace, which was the summer residence of the Hawaiian royal family, Ahu'ena Heiau, which was Kamehameha the Great's personal temple, and portions of the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge) National Park, which served as a sanctuary to those fleeing from capture or punishment.

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Remote Archipelago Captured as the Latest Site in Scottish Ten
St. Kilda is Successfully Recorded as part of the Scottish Ten
By: Justin Barton
July 28th, 2011

St. Kilda becomes the most recent addition to the Scottish Ten. Earlier this month, CyArk's partner, the Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualization (comprised of Historic Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art's Digital Design Studio (GSA)) traveled to the remote island of St Kilda in the far corner of the North Atlantic Ocean.

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Ben Kacyra Receives Standing Ovation at TEDGlobal
CyArk Founder Ben Kacyra Speaks to International Audience in Edinburgh
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 26th, 2011

Ben Kacyra spoke to a crowd of over 600 people at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh earlier this month. Speaking on the final day of the conference, Ben Kacyra spoke about CyArk and the need to preserve our collective human memory.

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UNESCO World Heritage Convention Highlights Importance of Cultural Landscapes
Five cultural landscapes designated as World Heritage sites.
By: Annabel Lee Enriquez
July 19th, 2011

As a historic preservationist, I realize that large and gorgeously-designed buildings and monuments and archaeological ruins of bygone civilizations usually grab the public’s attention, and rightfully so.

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Rock Art from Around the Globe
Often overlooked or disregarded, historic rock paintings and carvings can be as awe-inspiring as any other form of art. Check out some unique and famous sites from France, Australia and Norway.
By: Myasha Nicholas
July 8th, 2011

After creating educational activities and other content for the Tutuveni petroglyph site, I have become inspired to learn more about rock art. In different corners of the world over vast stretches of time, rock art has served as forms of communication, record-keeping, and ceremony.

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CyArk to Digitally Preserve Japanese American Confinement Sites
National Park Service selects CyArk as one of 24 projects for 2011 Grants Cycle
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 6th, 2011

CyArk receives $240,000 towards the digital preservation of three Japanese American Confinement Sites. CyArk, in partnership with the University of Colorado at Denver, Densho, and the War Relocation Authority (WRA) sites of Tule Lake, Topaz, and Manzanar, will digitally preserve three sites in order to share the history of the unjust treatment of over 110,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

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A Straight and Gleaming Tower of Pisa
It takes more than soap and water to clean the famous leaning tower
By: Charisse Sare
June 29th, 2011

The Leaning Tower of Pisa at Piazza del Duomo is one of the most recognizable wonders of the world. But with hundreds of years of stress, pollution, tourists and pigeons, the Tower was in need of some help.

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Introducing CyArk's Summer Interns
6 Students and Young Professionals Join CyArk for the Summer
By: Scott Lee
June 14th, 2011

As a young, non-profit organization, CyArk thrives on volunteers and student interns. Internship programs allow us to teach the next generation of digital preservation specialists. We also learn from the interns who bring fresh ideas and knowledge of the latest technologies.

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CyArk attends Hexagon 2011
A strong presence and a new network with the wider Hexagon industries
By: Justin Barton
June 13th, 2011

The annual Leica Geosystems HDS Worldwide User Conference has officially been merged with the annual Hexagon conference. This merge joins Leica with its new family affiliates under the Hexagon umbrella, including ERDAS and Integraph.

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Digital Repatriation: Marble House
Sneak preview of a Gilded Age masterpiece
By: Scott Lee
June 3rd, 2011

Earlier this year the CyArk team traveled to Rhode Island to digitally preserve the Marble House— one of the famous Newport Mansions built as a “summer cottage” during the late 1800’s. The home, built for William Vanderbilt and his wife Alva, contains a space, hailed as the Gothic Room, which was designed specifically to hold the couples’ Medieval and Renaissance art collection.

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Ben Kacyra to Speak at TED Global
CyArk founder to present an Idea Worth Spreading at global conference in July
By: Elizabeth Lee
June 2nd, 2011

On July 15th Ben Kacyra will address the global audience at TED with his Idea Worth Spreading, CyArk. TED is a nonprofit with the mission of spreading ideas. Started as a conference in 1984 to bring together people from the worlds of Technology, Entertainment, and Design, TED has since expanded to include several conferences and the free dissemination of the best TEDTalks online.

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Historic Preservation students using technology to unlock Colorado's past
3D Scanners help document historic cultural landscapes
By: Justin Barton
May 11th, 2011

CyArk is pleased to share the following press release with our audience. CyArk has partnered with University of Colorado Denver's Center of Preservation Research (CoPR) since 2009. The partnership began as a collaboration on the National Park Service Fort Laramie National Historic Site digital preservation project.

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Beyond Rushmore and the Scottish Ten
Expanding the Scottish Heritage Archive
By: Justin Barton
April 29th, 2011

In March I traveled to Edinburgh and Glasgow to meet with our partners from the Centre of Digital Documentation and Visualization (CDDV), which is comprised of Historic Scotland's Conservation Group and Glasgow School of Arts' Digital Design Studio.

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CyArk Launches Website en Español
CyArk está sumamente entusiasmado sobre su logro de proveer acceso a los de habla hispana a través del lanzamiento de nuestro sitio web en Español
By: Taline Ayanyan
April 29th, 2011

CyArk is excited to provide access to Spanish speakers through the launch of our Spanish website Fotografía del Sistema IV en Monte Albán (Photograph of System IV at Monte Albán) El archivo digital de CyArk continua creciendo con cada nuevo sitio de patrimonio que es documentado.

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Strong Heritage Presence at Spar 2011
CyArk and Partners Showcase Wide Range of Heritage Topics
By: Elizabeth Lee
April 12th, 2011

This year's spar conference had perhaps the largest showing of heritage presentations in recent years. CyArk has worked with Spar closely over the last few years to organize the heritage component of the conference.

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Bacteria Eats Away at the RMS <i>Titanic</i>
The world famous shipwreck is now being threatened by oceanic bacteria.
By: Myasha Nicholas
April 7th, 2011

Since its tragic descent to two and a half miles below the North Atlantic on April 14th, 1912, the RMS Titanic has been gradually deteriorating along the ocean floor. Recently, the scientific community has discovered that the ship is decaying at an alarming rate and may be gone within 15 years because of a previously unknown bacteria.

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Establishing CyArk Africa
Creating Africa Chapter and Technology Center with University of KwaZulu-Natal and the African Conservation Trust
By: Justin Barton
March 28th, 2011

I've just completed a week long trip to South Africa where I met with our new partners, the African Conservation Trust (ACT) and the Geomatics department of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Together ACT and UKZN have established a close relationship in which UKZN has received grants from the South African National Lottery system to conduct various heritage and environmental conservation projects.

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CyArk at Spar 2011
Conference Kicks Off in Houston with Strong Heritage Presence
By: Elizabeth Lee
March 22nd, 2011

Over the last few years, CyArk has worked closely with Spar conference organizers to develop a strong heritage presence at the conference. As the conference officially kicks off this morning in Houston, we wanted to give an overview of some of the heritage highlights for the week.

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Work Begins on Next Phase of Mount Rushmore Project
5 year partnership moves forward with on site training
By: Justin Barton
March 4th, 2011

CyArk recently traveled to Rapid City, SD to meet with senior park staff to discuss the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Digital Preservation Project. This project is a 5 year partnership between the National Park Service and KFF/ CyArk to provide both engineering-grade data for tasks such as rock-block monitoring, analysis, and site resource management as well as a base data set to create virtual tourism and educational materials for public outreach and data dissemination.

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Hawaiian Heritage Captured in 3D for Digital Preservation
A joint effort of several interested parties brought CyArk to the Big Island to document 3 heritage sites
By: Justin Barton
December 8th, 2010

Last week (Nov 29-Dec 4) saw the culmination of months of planning to bring Digital Preservation to the islands of Hawai'i. Through the concerted efforts of new allies and old partners, CyArk was able to conduct the documentation phase for the Digital Preservation of three culturally significant sites, or wahi pana (a "place" of significant meaning).

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Project Update: Mt. Rushmore
Previewing the initial results from the Mt. Rushmore Digital Preservation Project
By: Scott Lee
December 2nd, 2010

By this time, many are familiar with the story of our field collection efforts at Mt. Rushmore. After meticulously sorting through and editing 2.5 weeks of field data the CyArk team and our partners at CDDV are ready to offer a glimpse of our progress.

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National Park Service Intermountain Region News Release
NPS announces the launch of virtual Fort Laramie
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 29th, 2010

November 24, 2010: The National Park Service Intermountain Region formally announces the launch of a new way to virtually visit Fort Laramie National Historic Site in Wyoming. This new web portal into the history of the early 19th century crossroads of the American wilderness was created in partnership between the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service (NPS) and CyArk.

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CyArk Announces Website Redesign
It's been a while since the cyark.org website has received a facelift. So after significant effort, we are proud to release our new website. In addition to the obvious cosmetic changes, we have also added quite a few additional, more subtle, features. Read on for more information!
By: Landon Silla
November 24th, 2010

Objectives: One of the biggest goals we had in mind was to make our vast archive of content more easily accessible and better organized. We have added more information to our media elements so you are now able to view our media via the subnavigation bar at the top of most pages.

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CyArk Presents at 6Sight Conference
CyArk Demonstrates Digital Preservation at Future of Imaging Conference
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 19th, 2010

This week the 6Sight annual imaging technology conference was held in San Jose, CA. CyArk was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at the event and present on 3D imaging technologies and their applications for cultural heritage preservation.

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CyArk Scans Hopi Petroglyphs
By: Kristina Sturm
October 15th, 2010

Three of us from the CyArk team just returned from spending a week in the Arizona desert digitally documenting two Hopi petroglyph sites, Tutuveni and Dawa Park. Tutuveni is the primary site of the project and is a great example of the power of the World Monuments Fund Watch List.

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The story of the field documentation at Tutuvehni, by Lee Wayne Lomayestewa
By: Lee Wayne Lomayestewa
October 15th, 2010

My name is Lee Wayne Lomayestewa, I work in the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office of the Hopi Tribe as a Research Assistant. The Hopi Cultural Preservation met previously with the CyArk crew and other agencies including the World Monuments Fund, The Navajo Nation, Arizona Public Service, and the Petrified National Forest.

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CyArk Attends APT International Conference
CyArk co-presents with key partners, NPS and CoPR, on work at Fort Laramie National Historic Site
By: Justin Barton
October 14th, 2010

From October 6-9, 2010, the Association for Preservation Technology held their international conference in Denver, CO, USA. CyArk was there to present in the "Documentation" session. It was a joint presentation between me, Tom Keohan of the National Park Service (NPS), and Mike Nulty of the Center of Preservation Research (CoPR).

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CyArk Highlighted at Innovate Oakland Event
Final InOak Event Includes 3D Point Clouds of Cultural Heritage Sites
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 13th, 2010

Last Friday, October 8th, CyArk's technology and content were highlighted at the final InOak event of the year. As taken from the InOak website, "INOAK was created in 2010 by a handful of innovative new companies based in Oakland, California with a single purpose; to expand and strengthen a thriving community of innovative new companies through collaboration and community.

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CyArk Makes Cover Story of American Surveyor
Mt. Rushmore Digital Preservation Project Highlighted
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 7th, 2010

CyArk's Mt. Rushmore project has been selected as the cover story for this month's issue of American Surveyor magazine. Vol.7, Issue 7 of the widely distributed industry magazine includes a 9-page cover story chronicling the Mount Rushmore digital preservation project.

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Cliff Dwellings and Horse Packing
CyArk helps Partner Document Ancestral Puebloan ruins
By: Justin Barton
September 28th, 2010

Over the last year, we have developed a very close partnership with the Center of Preservation Research (CoPR) at the University of Colorado, Denver. The partnership which began with our work together on Fort Laramie, has expanded to the creation of a technology center at Denver with 3D laser scanning capacity.

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National Geographic Magazine Features CyArk and Partners
October 2010 Issue Features CyArk in Big Idea
By: Elizabeth Lee
September 24th, 2010

The October 2010 issue of National Geographic features a 3-page article about CyArk and our mission. An abreviated version of the article may be viewed at: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/15/laser-preservation The article begins on page 24 of the magazine and displays images from the site of Rapa Nui and the Royal Tombs at Kasubi.

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Laser Scanning Success at St. Anne's Church
CyArk and Christofori und Partner Digitally Preserve Gothic Masterpiece in Vilnius, Lithuania
By: Erwin Christofori
September 4th, 2010

This post was written by Erwin Christofori of Christofori und Partner after he and his team scanned St. Anne's Church. Erwin has worked on 3D laser scanning projects around the world, including several projects in the CyArk Archive.

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The Scottish Ten in Orkney
Scottish 10 team moves on to capture Neolithic Orkney
By: Elizabeth Lee
August 25th, 2010

After the successful completion of the Mt. Rushmore Project, the Scottish Ten has begun work on the next project in Scotland. Beginning August 13th, the team has been hard at work capturing the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Neolithic Orkney.

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New Discovery within the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl
By: Myasha Nicholas
August 5th, 2010

Teotihuacán, a highly influential but still very mysterious epicenter in the pre-Columbian world, has recently revealed a tunnel sealed off since its cultural prime. Yesterday, the Herald reported that Mexican archaeologists found a tunnel forty feet below the surface of the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl.

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Laser Scanning St. Anne's Church in Vilnius, Lithuania
CyArk and Christofori und Partner Digitally Preserve Gothic Masterpiece
By: Dirk Häusleigner
July 28th, 2010

This post was written by Dirk Häusleigner of Christofori und Partner before departing for Vilnius. Dirk has worked on 3D laser scanning projects around the world, including several projects in the CyArk Archive.

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Highlights from the Mt. Rushmore Laser Scanning Project
A Re-cap of the 2 week scanning portion of the project at Mt. Rushmore
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 2nd, 2010

After several weeks on the road, I am back at CyArk headquarters in Oakland, CA. The biggest event over the last few weeks has been the completion of our work at Mt. Rushmore. During the project, Mt.

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Managing a Digital Mount Rushmore
By: Justin Barton
July 2nd, 2010

In mid-May I was privileged to be a part of a truly and literally monumental project: the Digital Preservation of Mount Rushmore. CyArk partnered with the Scottish Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation (CDDV), US National Park Service (NPS), and several local organizations (Wyss and Associates, RESPEC Engineering, and the South Dakota School of Mines and Engineering) to bring state-of-the-art survey and documentation techniques to this American Icon.

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Mt. Rushmore Scanning Project a Success
3D Capture of a National Monument
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 2nd, 2010

CyArk recently completed the 3D capture of Mt. Rushmore. Part of a 5 year partnership with the National Memorial, the laser scanning portion of the project was completed by an incredible team from across the country and across the world.

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CyArk Prepares for Laser Scanning Mt. Rushmore
Laser Scanning portion of Digital Preservation Project to Start May 10
By: Elizabeth Lee
May 8th, 2010

Things have been very busy at CyArk lately. Between our office move last month and our on-going projects, we have not been very diligent about our blogging. We hope to improve this through upcoming field blogs and updates.

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Royal Kasubi Tombs Destroyed in Fire
UNESCO World Heritage Site Tomb of the Buganda Kings Burned in Fire
By: Scott Cedarleaf
March 19th, 2010

On Tuesday March 16th 2010 at 3:52 PM Arizona time, I received a text message from a colleague in Kampala, Uganda, East Africa telling me that the Kasubi Tombs had been set on fire and had burned to the ground.

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Spar 2010 Wrap-up
Annual Conference on 3D technologies boasts large heritage preservation presence
By: Elizabeth Lee
February 20th, 2010

Last week we attended the annual Spar conference on 3D imaging and capture technologies. I have had the opportunity to attend this event for the past 3 years, and it is always a great experience. Spar offers an opportunity to learn about the emerging technologies in 3D capture, connect with old partners, gain insight about best practices and methodologies, and spark new relationships.

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Romanesque Church of Saint Trophime Laser Scanned
CyArk and World Monuments Fund join to Digitally Preserve magnificent iconography
By: Justin Barton
February 12th, 2010

Last year CyArk partnered with World Monuments Fund (WMF) to Digitally Preserve the renowned cloister of Saint-Trophime, one of the multiple structures within the historic center of Arles, France inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Haiti Heritage Preservation: A Call for Volunteers
CyArk Needs Volunteers to Help Document Haiti's Cultural Heritage
By: Dan Walsh
February 12th, 2010

The recent earthquake in Haiti has devastated a nation and caused immeasurable loss of life. Thankfully, the world has responded en masse. Donations, supplies, and aid workers have flown in from all corners of the world to help ease human suffering.

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King Tut's Tomb Undergoes Digital Preservation and Reproduction
Egyptian specialists are recreating Tut's tomb to spare it from stress caused by tourism.
By: Angelica Nava
February 10th, 2010

Imagine a dark, dank, cavernous yet cramped space. The air inside hangs heavy; the heat lingers. Each busy day can usher in as many as 1000 people, although the average height of the chamber measures only about 12 ft.

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CyArk at SPAR 2010
A preview of what to expect from CyArk at SPAR 2010
By: Dan Walsh
February 3rd, 2010

Everyone here at CyArk has been gearing up for the SPAR 2010 conference in Houston, TX next week. For those of you who don't know, SPAR 2010's focus is "all about the business and technology of capturing, managing and integrating 3D information.

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Field Update and Media Advisory: Scanning the San Antonio Missions
Digitally Documenting a National Park Service Treasure
By: Elizabeth Lee
January 27th, 2010

Last week field work began on our much anticipated San Antonio Missions project. This project, announced last December, involves the digital documentation of 4 of the Missions of San Antonio as well as the oldest continually used aqueduct in North America.

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Haiti Relief: Heritage Call to Action
ICOMOS President Calls for Help from the International Community
January 13th, 2010

In light of the recent tragic events in Haiti, ICOMOS President Gustavo Araoz has circulated the following call to action. In response to this call, CyArk is asking all those interested in joining volunteer laser scanning teams to contact Elizabeth.

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Scanning Erosion: Preserving the rock art of El Morro, New Mexico
The National Park Service goes high-tech in preservation efforts
By: Ashley M. Richter
January 7th, 2010

Rising above the plains of western New Mexico is a series of sandstone bluffs called El Morro, Spanish for ‘the headlands’. The location of a stable water source, it became a popular pit-stop along the trails crisscrossing the American southwest: a temporary campground for hundreds of souls throughout the centuries.

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Moen jo Daro - New Threats to Indus Valley Civilization
Rising water tables and violent vandalism endanger site's future
By: Parveen Talpur
January 4th, 2010

About the Author Parveen Talpur is a New York based writer and historian. Her research at Cornell University (1990-97) focused on the decipherment of Moen jo Daro seal symbols. The results of her research are published in the Wisconsin Archaeological Reports, Vol 3, 1994, Department of Anthropology University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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Digital Preservation Technologies
By: Justin Barton
January 1st, 2010

Surveying techniques range from simple manual methods to remote sensing instruments capable of millimeter precision. The choice of survey device depends on the type of information needed and the corresponding degree of accuracy that is required.

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Digital Preservation Technologies
By: Justin Barton
January 1st, 2010

Primary Sources: Wikipedia: GPS and Wikipedia: GNSS The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS (the US military refers to it as NAVSTAR GPS - Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System), is a fully operational satellite navigation system as of 2006.

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Digital Preservation Technologies
By: Justin Barton
January 1st, 2010

Primary Source: Wikipedia: Remote Sensing In the broadest sense, remote sensing is the measurement or acquisition of information of an object or phenomenon, by a recording device that is not in physical ontact with the object.

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Digital Preservation Technologies
By: Justin Barton
January 1st, 2010

For most endangered heritage sites, the first tool required for preservation and restoration is a reliable, accurate site survey. Terrestrial LiDAR (aka 3D Laser Scanning, aka High Definition Survey) technologies provide 3D survey data that is more accurate and more economically produced than information from surveys using traditional techniques.

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Digital Preservation Technologies
By: Justin Barton
January 1st, 2010

In computer graphics and cinematography, high dynamic range imaging or photography (HDR for short) is a set of techniques that allow a far greater dynamic range of exposures than normal digital imaging techniques.

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Digital Preservation Technologies
By: Justin Barton
January 1st, 2010

Primary Source: Wikipedia: Panoramic Photography Panoramic photography is a style of photography that aims to create images with exceptionally wide fields of view, but has also come to refer to any photograph that is cropped to a relatively wide aspect ratio.

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Getting to Know the 5 Scottish World Heritage Sites
A recap of a weeklong tour of 4 of the sites to be included in the Scottish 10
By: Elizabeth Lee
December 31st, 2009

This December I experienced an incredibly packed 5 days of Scottish heritage. As part of the Scottish 10, I traveled to Scotland to become more familiar with the 5 Scottish sites to will be included in the project.

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Teotihuacan and the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl
Digital Preservation of a Mesoamerican Wonder
By: Justin Barton
December 28th, 2009

Field work has just ended and I am currently in Mexico with our Director of Projects, Liz Lee, and CyArk partner (and friend) Frank Collazo of Leica Geosystems HDS. We have come to the wonderous site of Teotihuacan in collaboration with Mexico's INAH and the World Monuments Fund in order to Digitally Preserve the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, Quetzalcoatl.

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CyArk Gifts for the Holidays
Give AND Receive
By: Dan Walsh
December 16th, 2009

With the help of our partners and the support of people like you, CyArk has made 8 new projects available on our website in the past year. Among others, these projects include the oasis city of Ancient Merv, the stone moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the Kasubi Tombs in Uganda, and the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban.

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CyArk Partners with National Parks Service to Capture Four Historic Missions
By: Elizabeth Lee
December 1st, 2009

CyArk is proud to announce our upcoming project with the National Parks Service to digitally preserve the Missions of San Antonio. Our work at the National Historic Park will include the missions Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepción de Acuna, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, San Juan de Capistrano, San Francisco de la Espada, as well as the Espada Aqueduct.

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New 3D Model Displays - You Choose
How should we show our new 3D models?
By: Dan Walsh
November 30th, 2009

CyArk would like your help determining how to best display our new 3D models. These light-weight site representations are a great visualization tool for teachers, students, and researchers, and enable exciting new opportunities to showcase sites as they were originally built.

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2012: Archaeology and Hollywood
Part Five of Five - Mass Entertainment and The End
By: John Mink
November 21st, 2009

In the prior chapters of this CyArk blog series, we have talked about the idea of the year 2012: What it means to modern people, and what it may have meant to the Classic Period Maya of Central America.

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Mt. Rushmore Digital Preservation Project Prepares for Initial Survey
CyArk, NPS, Respec, and Wyss and Associates meet to discuss control network survey
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 16th, 2009

As part of the preparatory work for the Mt. Rushmore Digital Preservation project, this week I traveled to Rapid City South Dakota. The purpose of the trip was to meet with park staff as well as our local partners on the project Wyss and Associates and Respec Engineering to discuss the establishment of a park-wide survey control network.

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2012: Maya Conceptions Of Time
Section C of Part 4 (of Five) - Future Predictions or Endless Cycles?
By: John Mink
November 12th, 2009

This entry is Section C of the three-section Part IV of the 2012 Blog Series from CyArk (click here for Section A and here for Section B)...Yes, that is a bit convoluted, but so is the Maya calendar itself (at least to our eyes), so be aware that these entries are a bit challenging - You could also stick to the Bold Text if you want a quick overview.

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2012: Understanding The Maya Calendars
Section B of Part 4 (of Five) - The Long Count
By: John Mink
November 11th, 2009

This is Section B of the three-section Part IV of the 2012 Blog Series from CyArk (click here for Section A)...Yes, that is a bit confusing, but so is the Maya calendar - at least to our eyes. Be aware that these next two entries are going to be a bit challenging.

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CyArk and Partners Featured on New York Times Front Page
By: Dan Walsh
November 6th, 2009

CyArk and partners Historic Scotland and Glasgow School of Art were featured in a New York Times article entitled Scots Aim Lasers at Landmarks, written by Michael Kimmelman. The article discusses the Mount Rushmore project, and also expounds on the Rosslyn Chapel and Stirling Castle projects.

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2012: Maya Perspectives and Cultural Remains
Part Four (Section A) of Five - The Maya
By: John Mink
November 5th, 2009

We have discussed some aspects of the public fascination, hype and hysteria surrounding the upcoming date of December 21 (or 23!), 2012 over the previous posts in this series: Introduction, Millenarianism, and Pan-Shamanism.

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CyArk to Host Data from Rosslyn Chapel
CyArk works with Historic Scotland, the Glasgow School of Art, and the Rosslyn Chapel Trust to Share Data with the Public
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 2nd, 2009

We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new data set to the CyArk Archive. Working with Historic Scotland, the Digital Design Studio at the Glasgow School of Art, and the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, CyArk will be disseminating 3D data of the chapel collected as part of a digital documentation project.

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CyArk Welcomes Pointools as New Partner
Pointools software to form backbone of multimedia production moving forward
By: Justin Barton
November 1st, 2009

CyArk is very pleased to announce the development of a new partnership with Pointools. The UK-based company creates high-end point cloud editing and rendering software. We are excited to be working closely with the Pointools team in our continued efforts to improve the quality of our data as well as expand our ever-growing international Partner Network.

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Give a Point Cloud, Get a Point Cloud
Submit a Point Cloud Contest Rules and Submission Page
By: Dan Walsh
October 25th, 2009

The Give a Point Cloud, Get a Point Cloud contest is mostly for those attending the Leica Geosystems User Conference this past week. But really, anyone can enter if they'd like. The rules are really simple: Send a jpeg, tiff, gif, png, or any other image file to me at dan.

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2012: New Age Predictions
Part Three of Five - Pan-shamanism
By: John Mink
October 20th, 2009

The two prior entries to the 2012: Truth, Fiction, and the Popular Imagination blog series introduced us to some questions surrounding the year 2012 and began to explore some of the sources of confusion as to what it means, starting with Millenariansm.

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Ruins of Jerash Field Report - Conservation and Tourism
Richter in the Field - Volume 1
By: Ashley M. Richter
October 17th, 2009

That’s right, I’m out of the CyArk office and out in the field. Over the last few months while I have been working part time in the CyArk offices, I have also been working from a distance to complete a research based Masters in Archaeology and Heritage from University of Leicester.

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CyArk featured on KQED's Quest Program
CyArk's work at Chichén Itzá Highlighted on TV Program
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 13th, 2009

On October 13th at 7:30 pm PDT, the local San Francisco Bay Area station KQED will air a segment about CyArk's work at Chichén Itzá as part of the Maya Skies project. The story will air on KQED 9 & KQED HD on Comcast 709.

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WMF's 2010 Watch List includes CyArk Site
Tambo Colorado, Peru is threatened, but Digitally Preserved
By: Justin Barton
October 12th, 2009

Last week the World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced their biennial "Watch List" for 2010. Every two years the WMF releases a list of the world's 100 most endangered sites, be they endangered from excess tourism, environmental impacts, war, development, or other issues, in order to bring attention to he sites' needs.

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2012: End of the World Perceptions and Myths
Part Two of Five - Millenarianism
By: John Mink
October 9th, 2009

With this second installment of 2012: Truth, Fiction, and the Popular Imagination (Part One - Introduction was last week's blog), we turn our gaze towards our own perceptions of The End Of The World as a phenomenon.

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CyArk's New Home on the Social Webs
Utilizing Social Websites to Reach a Broader Audience
By: Dan Walsh
October 4th, 2009

You may or may not have noticed CyArk's presence in a few new places around the web. We have begun making a concerted effort to reach out to a broader internet audience by spreading the CyArk mission on social sites like Twitter and Facebook.

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CyArk to Participate in First Ever Heritage Track at Leica HDS User Conference
Join CyArk in San Ramon October 26-28
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 2nd, 2009

In only 3 weeks CyArk will be joining other enthusiastic laser scanning experts from around the world at the annual Leica HDS Worldwide User Conference in San Ramon, CA. The conference will take place at San Ramon Marriot from October 26-28, 2009.

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2012: Truth, Fiction, and the Popular Imagination
Introduction
By: John Mink
October 1st, 2009

This is the first post of a multi-part blog series from CyArk on the 2012 phenomenon that has exploded across popular literature, the internet, television, and now film. As the date itself has its base in an ancient calendar of the Maya people of Central America, we hope to provide an archaeological/anthropological critique of the phenomenon and perhaps clear up some misconceptions.

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By: Hannah Bowers
September 28th, 2009

The CyArk 3D Point Cloud Viewer is a powerful tool that allows you, the user, to interact within a 3D model space. This enables anyone to view our 3D point cloud data in true 3D. This application has been available on our site for some time now, and comes in two versions.

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Field Report: Digital Preservation of Fort Laramie National Historic Site
3D Laser Scanning in Wyoming
By: Justin Barton
September 20th, 2009

Hello from Fort Laramie (and Torrington), Wyoming! CyArk is currently in the field working to Digitally Preserve the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. Fort Laramie was once an important hub point for the American expansion into the west.

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Religious iconography, repurposed statues, and medieval frescoes from around the globe.
By: Lili Siegenthaler
September 10th, 2009

Welcome to Take Five, a new blog feature in which your host, Lili, showcases CyArk's top five photos in a given theme. Today we take a few looks at religious imagery from around the world: Germany, Cambodia, Egypt, Italy, and Brazil.

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Recycling Monuments: The Hinduism/Buddhism Switch at Angkor
The Changing Face of Religious Architecture at Angkor, Also Common Elsewhere
By: Ashley M. Richter
September 8th, 2009

The idea of recycling is far more ancient than many would think. For millennia, people have reused everything; metal, clothing, and yes, even ancient monuments. Current trends in archaeological thought revel in the idea of an archaeological landscape: one which has been built up over millennia, interacting with culture after culture, each of whom has left their mark on a site or collection of sites.

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Better Dating Through Volcanoes
An Island's Destruction is a Boon to Archaeologists
By: Lili Siegenthaler
September 3rd, 2009

Ever hear the old joke about the man who tried to forge ancient coins, but got caught when scholars noticed they were stamped “52 BC”? Archaeologists hear this joke and give a wistful sigh. If only it were so simple! If only every excavated find came with a tag, complete with the date it was built or created! No more messing around with radioactive isotopes and the carbon cycle; no more bickering between professors over whether a certain type of bowl belongs to the Late Minoan IIIA or IIIB period.

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CyArk Welcomes New Volunteers to the Team
Volunteers help expand CyArk's workforce and mission
By: Justin Barton
August 31st, 2009

Recently CyArk has been fortunate to grow in our work force through the generous contributions of our volunteers. They have all greatly increased our productivity and have proven invaluable to us during a time of growth and flux as we gear up for some impressive new partnerships—including the globally covered, upcoming Mt Rushmore Digital Preservation project.

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Spar 2010 Calls for Presentations
CyArk Partners With Spar to Continue Heritage Track at Annual Conference
By: Elizabeth Lee
August 29th, 2009

Once again CyArk will be working closely with the Spar conference to organize a heritage session for their upcoming 2010 conference. The conference will take place in Houston, TX February 8-10, 2010. Spar is the leading conference on 3D Imaging & Positioning.

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Fires near Greek capital of Athens
Homes, forests, and cultural heritages sites threatened by blazes
By: John Mink
August 27th, 2009

A series of devastating fires near Athens, Greece, have burned scores of homes and tens of thousands of hectares of pine forest and olive groves. They also placed several important archaeological sites in grave jeopardy, according to Greek officials.

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Digitizing the Intangible
Royal Flutes Commemorate Bugandan Tradition
By: Monica Carr
August 24th, 2009

There is some heritage and culture that cannot be laser scanned into 3D images. Music has its own distinct and emotional cultural legacy, and it was composer Dr. Albert Ssempeke who used his knowledge of royal music to capture the essence of Bugundan tradition.

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CyArk Rushmore Project Featured in UK Guardian and New Zealand Herald
Correction: CyArk Was Not Involved in the Documentation of Roman Catacombs
By: Dan Walsh
August 24th, 2009

CyArk has recently received press for our upcoming digital preservation of Mount Rushmore in the UK's Guardian, The New Zealand Herald, and on NewsCred. We are pleased with the great coverage but would like to address a common mistake in all three articles.

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Carbon Dating & Archaeology
The RadioActive Clock
By: Ashley M. Richter
August 17th, 2009

Time is relative. Different cultures around the world record time in different fashions. According to the Gregorian calendar, it is the year 2009 AD. But according to the Hebrew calendar it is 5769.

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Royal Tombs of African Buganda Kings in 3D
Digital Preservation of CyArk's first Sub-Saharan and Organic Architecture Site
By: Justin Barton
August 13th, 2009

In February of 2009, a joint effort between Provide Solutions, LLC and Plowman Craven brought Mr. Scott Cedarleaf to Kampala, Uganda. There, he conducted a Digital Preservation project at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tombs of the Bugandan Kings at Kasubi.

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Dendrochronology - Real Science VS Hollywood Forensics
Utilizing Tree Ring Dating for Archaeological Investigation
By: Ashley M. Richter
August 3rd, 2009

With the popularization of scientific analysis on television shows like CSI and Law and Order, it seems science can tell us everything these days. It can solve every crime and decipher every riddle. Partial fingerprints? No problem, they’ll catch the baddie with reconstructed prints.

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AOL News Features CyArk's Planned Digital Preservation of Mt. Rushmore
'Cutting-Edge' Technology Will Create 3-D Map of Monument
By: Dan Walsh
August 1st, 2009

Catherine Cullen of AOL News wrote an article about CyArk's partnership with the National Parks Service and Historic Scotland, and the upcoming digital preservation of Mt. Rushmore. "People may be used to seeing work done on Hollywood faces, but some other famous faces undergoing a laser treatment may come as a surprise.

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Monolithic Moai of Easter Island Captured in 3D
Digital Preservation takes you to one of the most remote places on Earth
By: John Mink
July 30th, 2009

Rapa Nui, a small volcanic island and province of Chile more commonly known as Easter Island, is home to one of humanity's most enigmatic and instantly-recognizable archaeological landscapes. First settled by Polynesian colonists during the first millennium C.

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CyArk Celebrates the Launch of Project 25
Rapi Nui becomes the 25th cultural heritage site to be digitally preserved
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 30th, 2009

With the launch of Rapa Nui this afternoon, CyArk celebrates the 25th project to be digitally preserved and made publicly available via the web. We thought this silver anniversary of sorts called for a bit of celebration and perhaps a history lesson.

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Mount Rushmore to get Laser Treatment
CyArk in USATODAY
By: Dan Walsh
July 29th, 2009

Jeff Martin wrote an article in USA Today about the upcoming Digital Preservation of Mount Rushmore. "The stoic faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln will never know what hit them.

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Launch of the Carmelite Church of Weißenburg
Medieval Church Scanned and Photographed
By: Charisse Sare
July 27th, 2009

A visit to the Bavarian city of Weißenburg is like taking a step back in time. There are ancient Roman ruins to be explored, Renaissance influences to be experienced, and Gothic architecture to be examined.

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The Maya and Ancient Urbanization
Pollution, over-expansion, and deforestation may have caused decline of Maya at UNESCO World Heritage Site Tikal.
By: Ashley M. Richter
July 24th, 2009

Although it’s taken much of the world quite some time to jump on the conservation bandwagon, it seems the Classic Mayan civilization was practicing good environmental management policies well before the 7th century AD.

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Assemblage of 16th Century Portal Begins at the University of San Francisco
Laser Data More Accurate than Anticipated
By: Dan Walsh
July 15th, 2009

The University of San Francisco, my alma mater, has been steadily making remarkable improvements to a number of the buildings on campus since my graduation in 2006. The newly renamed Kalmonowitz Hall is one such building.

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Spar Point Research Editorial on Mount Rushmore Partnerships
Scanning of Mount Rushmore - Good for Many
By: Dan Walsh
July 8th, 2009

Lieca N. Hohner, Chief Editor at Spar Point Research wrote a glowing editorial about the combined efforts of the National Parks Service, Historic Scotland, and CyArk at Mount Rushmore. "The agreement deserves applause for a number of reasons.

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Mt. Rushmore Selected to be First International Project in Scotland 10
CyArk, National Parks Service, and Historic Scotland Partner to Digitally Preserve Founding Fathers Amid July 4th Celebration
By: Elizabeth Lee
July 6th, 2009

Amidst the Independence Day celebrations at Mt. Rushmore, another event with international implications was taking place. Almost 10 hours before the famous fireworks, a special press conference was held in Borglum's Sculptor's studio.

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National Parks Traveler Reports on CyArk's Plans to Digitally Map Mount Rushmore
By: Dan Walsh
July 5th, 2009

Kurt Repanshek, at National Parks Traveler, posted substantial coverage regarding CyArk's recent presence at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. "Digital mapping. This relatively new technology is a boon to archaeologists and preservationists.

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Rapid City Journal Reports on CyArk's Mount Rushmore Plans
With laser scan, Mount Rushmore to get virtual tours
By: Dan Walsh
July 3rd, 2009

Jeremy Fugleberg of Rapid City Journal wrote a solid summary of the events unfolding at Mount Rushmore, and CyArk's partnerships with Historic Scotland and the National Parks Service. "MOUNT RUSHMORE -- Mount Rushmore National Memorial is set to get a three-dimensional digital recording, park officials announced Friday.

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CyArk Receives International Press in The Scotsman
Scots win Mt Rushmore 3D deal
By: Dan Walsh
July 2nd, 2009

CyArk received international press coverage when Christopher Mackie of The Scotsman, a Scottish newspaper, reported about our recent efforts at Mount Rushmore. "The Scottish Ten project, which will begin in September and is expected to last five years, is part of a larger effort by CyArk, a US non-profit organisation, to digitally capture 500 of the world's most significant heritage sites.

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UNESCO World Heritage Site Monte Albán of Mexico in 3D
Zapotec capital digitized with 3D laser scanners and HDR photography
By: Justin Barton
June 25th, 2009

CyArk is pleased to announce the web-launch of our latest project, the Zapotec capital of Monte Albán, Mexico. This project was made possible through the generous collaboration of the Instituto Nacional de Antroplogía e Historia (INAH) of Mexico.

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World Heritage in Google Earth: 3D Models Across the Globe
By: Dan Walsh
June 19th, 2009

We at CyArk, love 3D and maps; especially when those two things involve cultural heritage. I've compiled a list below of some of the best 3D models of World Heritage Sites and historic locations that are currently in Google Earth.

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Stone Bridge of Regensburg: UNESCO World Heritage Site, Digitally Preserved
German Medieval Bridge now archived with CyArk
By: Justin Barton
June 9th, 2009

In May 2008 a highly skilled 3D survey team from the German firm Christofori und Partner travelled to the historic city of Regensburg, Germany. Regensburg has over 1000 historic landmarks within its ‘old city’, which has led to this important cultural center being enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Effective Field Data Capture and Creation of High Dynamic Range Images
By: Justin Barton
June 4th, 2009

Conceptual Data Capture In 1997, Paul Debevec published a paper about how to digitally create high dynamic range images for rendering surfaces. This paper is very technical and includes the algorithm equations used to recover the film/camera response curve used to nonlinearly map pixel values found in standard images in order to produce true, absolute radiance values in HDRI.

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5 Tips from the CyArk Team
By: Hannah Bowers
May 26th, 2009

It is often difficult to capture the beauty of a site with drawings and photographs alone. This is why animations are often helpful for viewers to get a sense of the space and relation of objects to one another.

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Laser Scanning the UNESCO World Heritage Site of St. Trophime
Digital Preservation of a 12th Century Cloister
By: Elizabeth Lee
May 18th, 2009

Work finished a little earlier than expected so I decided to take an opportunity to do an official blog from the field during a late breakfast at the hotel. I am writing from Arles, a small historic town in the Provence region of southern France.

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Why use HDR Photography: Practical Applications past Hyper-Real Photos
By: Justin Barton
May 17th, 2009

High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) is a process which involves taking multiple photographs, each exposed differently (eg, ‘bracketing’), and then using special computer software to combine these photos into a new, composite image which has a greater ‘tonal range’ than any of the individuals photographs are capable of having due to the limitations of film or digital sensors.

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Ancient Stone Tenon Heads Discovered in Ancash, Peru
Stone carvings discovered in Chupacoto may be older than tenon heads from Chavín de Huántar
By: Nicole Medina
May 12th, 2009

On May 8, 2009 officials in the Ancash region of Peru announced the discovery of stone tenon heads estimated to be 4,000 years old. The tenon heads were discovered in the Huaylas district at an archaeological site near the town of Chupacoto.

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Laser Scanning the Underworld of Rome
Mile after mile of Catacombs get documented in 3D for first time
By: Justin Barton
May 5th, 2009

Below Rome, Italy, burrowed into the soft yet durable volcanic tufa rock, are over 170km (105 miles) of winding catacombs. There are over 40 individual catacombs, dating back two millennia, which were carved out as protected burial sites for the religiously persecuted--the Christians, Jews, and Pagans--during a span of over three centuries.

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Digital Documentation Conference Doubles in Size in Second Year
Digital Documentation 2009 Hosts Over 200 International Delagates
By: Elizabeth Lee
April 30th, 2009

In only its second year, the Digital Documentation conference, coordinated by the Digital Design Studio at the Glasgow School of Art and in association with Historic Scotland, Leica Geosystems, Hexagon Metrology, Glasgow City Council and CyArk, more than doubled in size and played host to delegates and speakers from around the world.

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CyArk Helps Kick-Off Euromed Heritage ATHENA Project
Three Year Ancient Amphitheater Project Begins
By: Elizabeth Lee
April 16th, 2009

Last week I had the honor of representing CyArk at the ATHENA project kick-off meeting in Amman Jordan. I only spent three days in the country but I had a wonderful experience meeting new partners and exploring some of the heritage sites.

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CyArk featured on Cover of Archaeology Magazine
Scan. Digitize. Save.
By: Dan Walsh
April 15th, 2009

In October 2008, Archaeology Magazine's Deputy Editor Eric Powell accompanied the CyArk team to digitally preserve the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban, just outside Oaxaca, Mexico. Archaeology Magazine had wanted to write an article on CyArk for some time, and the Monte Alban project proved to be the perfect opportunity.

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Cultural Heritage and Identity in the Wake of the L'Aquila Earthquake
L'Aquila suffers a devastating loss of life, homes, and cultural heritage
By: Nicole Medina
April 14th, 2009

On April 6, 2009, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in the central Italian region of Abruzzo. The quake is the deadliest earthquake to strike Italy since 1980. L'Aquila, capital city of Abruzzo, and surrounding villages have sustained significant damages and losses.

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CyArk Enjoys Large Presence at CAA and Spar 2009
CyArk receives much attention at major archaeology and laser scanning industry conferences
By: Elizabeth Lee
April 6th, 2009

Two of the largest conferences of their kind were held back-to-back this year in the United States. The Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) conference is one of the largest, bringing together high-tech archaeologists from around the world.

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Dynamite Damages Ancient Reliefs in Turkey
Roman tomb reliefs were damaged by looters' dynamite explosions in Mersin, Turkey
By: Justin Barton
April 3rd, 2009

Ten days ago at the archaeological site Adamkayalar in the Şeytan Valley of Turkey, a group of looters damaged eleven rock-wall relief niches when they detonated dynamite. The Mersin University Klikia Archaeological Research Center has reported the situation on their website and to local police.

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The Historic Acania Boat is Scanned for Restoration
3D laser scanning is employed to provide detailed information to restoration workers
By: Justin Barton
March 31st, 2009

In March 2009, I travelled within the SF Bay Area to a shipyard in Alameda, CA. There I met with a team from UC Berkeley’s Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) consisting of Dr. Shakhzod Takhirov and Mr.

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Launch of Digital Preservation Knowledgebase
A Collection of Articles and Documents About Digital Documentation
By: Justin Barton
March 20th, 2009

We are proud to announce the launch of our new Knowledgebase on the CyArk website. We are striving to make the new knowledgebase a resource for information on techniques and technologies used to digitally preserve the world's cultural heritage.

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Investigations into the Accuracy Behaviour of the Terrestrial Laser Scanning System Mensi GS100
By: Justin Barton
March 19th, 2009

The abstract puts it best when it says, "Although terrestrial 3D laser scanning is being used increasingly for a wide range of applications, no laser scanning system on the market is suitable for all applications.

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By: Justin Barton
March 19th, 2009

The International council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has an international committee dedicated to the documentation of cultural heritage; named CIPA (the International Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage), it was created in collaboration with the International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS).

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By: Justin Barton
March 19th, 2009

The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) is an NGO dedicated to helping the advancement of knowledge and research in remote sensing, photogrammetry, and spatial technologies whilst harboring these technologies' abilities to promote human and environmental sustainability.

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English Heritage's Advice and Guidance to users on laser scanning in archaeology and architecture
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

English Heritage's Heritage 3D project researched and collected information and data from workshops and case studies while participating in steering committees to produce this beginner's guidance manual for architects and archaeologists wishing to employ 3D technologies as a data collection tool.

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An Addendum to the Metric Survey Specifications for English Heritage - The Collection and Archiving of Point Cloud Data Obtained by Terrestrial Laser Scanning or Other Methods
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

In conjunction with the Heritage 3D "Advice and guidance to users on laser scanning in archaeology and architecture" beginner's guide, this more-detailed publication outlines specific standards for clients and contractors using 3D terrestrial laser scanning as a data capture tool with English Heritage projects.

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Creating Standards and Specifications for the Use of Laser Scanning in CalTrans Projects
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) partners with the University of California at Davis' AHMCT department for various projects. Together, they conducted an equipment test of multiple time-of-flight scanners with their own vendor-neutral, independently developed testing methods.

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A collection of multiple case studies conducted in partnership with English Heritage and Heritage 3D
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

The following link will take you to the case studies contributed to the Heritage3D project by associates. Each case study is individually available in PDF format. The multitude of case studies include a wide range of scanning subjects, from rock art and graffiti, to Classical and Egyptian statues, landscapes, artifacts, eartworks, and underground sites.

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The University of Applied Science in Mainz, Germany tests the accuracy of multiple laser scanning systems
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

This paper investigates the accuracy of multiple laser scanning systems and was conducted in 2003 by i3mainz (the Institute for Spatial Information and Surveying Technology at the University of Applied Sciences, Mainz, Germany).

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Comparative Investigations into the Accuracy Behaviour of the New Generation of Terrestrial Laser Scanning Systems
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

HafenCity University Hamburg's Department of Geomatics investigated the quality of measurements obtained with multiple laser scanners. For the time-of-flight scanner test, they employed the: Trimble GX Leica ScanStation For the the phase scanner test they employed the: Z+F IMAGER 5006 Faro LS880 HE The study tested the scanners distance accuracies, accuracy of inclination, the laser's angle of incidence's effect on 3D accuracy, an investigation of scanner noise, and an investigation of an object's color's affect on distance.

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An introduction brochure to the Leica ScanStation 2 Terrestrial Laser Scanner
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

This is the short promotional brochure for the Leica ScanStation 2 terrestrial laser scanner (in US English). It does not provide technical specifications of the equipment; for this, please see the data sheet.

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Leica ScanStation 2: Exceptional Speed, Outstanding Versatility
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Data Sheet (technical specifications, etc.) for the Leica ScanStation 2 terrestrial laser scanner (in US English). This data sheet will provide all the specs such as laser range, speed, density/resolution, equipment tolerances (eg, weather), physical dimensions, etc.

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Leica ScanStation: 3D laser scanner with total station features
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Data Sheet (technical specifications, etc.) for the Leica ScanStation terrestrial laser scanner (in US English). This data sheet will provide all the specs such as laser range, speed, density/resolution, equipment tolerances (eg, weather), physical dimensions, etc.

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Leica HDS6000: A new generation of ultra-high speed laser scanner
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Data Sheet (technical specifications, etc.) for the Leica HDS6000 terrestrial laser scanner (in US English). This data sheet will provide all the specs such as laser range, speed, density/resolution, equipment tolerances (eg, weather), physical dimensions, etc.

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Leica HDS6100: Latest generation of ultra-high speed laser scanner
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Promotional brochure for the Leica HDS6100 terrestrial laser scanner (in US English). It does not provide technical specifications of the equipment; for this, please see the data sheet. For other language options, go here: http://www.

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Leica HDS6100: Latest generation of ultra-high speed laser scanner
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Data Sheet (technical specifications, etc.) for the Leica HDS6100 terrestrial laser scanner (in US English). This data sheet will provide all the specs such as laser range, speed, density/resolution, equipment tolerances (eg, weather), physical dimensions, etc.

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Preservation and Management Strategies for Exceptionally Large Data Formats
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

The Archaeological Data Service (hosted by the University of York) investigated the current problems associated with storing, using, and disseminating large (and increasingly larger) data sets generated by the cultural heritage field (researchers, archaeologists, and CRM).

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A web-forum for the discussion of 3D laser scanning
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

the 3D laser Scanning Forum is dedicated to attracting members of the laser scanning community from all over the world to discuss the topic of 3d laser scanning and all it has to offer. Currently you must be a user to join the forum (in order to post/comment), but all the topics are freely accessible for non-members.

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A catalog of the current FARO laser scanning product line
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

An equipment catalog for the multiple FARO scanners available with a brief description of what comes with them (eg, software bundles and software licenses) as well as accessory items such as tripod mounts and warranty information.

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Brochure and Data Sheet for the Photon 80/20 Laser Scanning System
By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

A two-page brochure complete with technical specifications (data sheet) for the new FARO Photo 80/20 laser scanning system, providing range, speed, size, and even laser power/wavelength information.

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By: Justin Barton
March 18th, 2009

Data Sheet and informational brochure for the Optech ILRIS-3D laser scanning system providing information such as speed, range, physical size, operating conditions (eg operational weather conditions), sampling rate, etc.

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Early Hominid Footprints Discovered in Africa
Laser scan analysis of ancient footprints reveal that Homo ergaster walked upright.
By: Nicole Medina
March 10th, 2009

A set of early human footprints discovered in Africa reveal that 1.5 million years ago prehistoric humans walked upright in a manner very similar to modern humans. The report was released by the journal Science and described the findings of an international team led by professor Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom.

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Top 10 Endangered Heritage Sites - Urbanization
10 Sites at High Risk from the threat of rapidly increasing worldwide Urbanization
By: John Mink
March 8th, 2009

Urbanization, the last entry in this CyArk series, is of special concern to those of us who understand the great value of cultural heritage sites. In a sense, urbanization is the reason for and the culmination of many of the ills discussed in the previous four blogs; as cities grow and develop, more and more people around the globe move from simpler, rural ways of life into modern industrialized urban ones.

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Ben Kacyra to Speak at Digital Documentation Conference
Glasgow School of Art and Historic Scotland to Host International Delegates April 22-23, 2009
By: Dan Walsh
February 27th, 2009

On April 22nd and 23rd, the 2nd annual Digital Documentation conference will be held at the Old Fruitmarket in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City. Digital Documentation 2009 will have twelve presenters from around the globe speaking about digital documentation, laser scanning and 2D/3D representation within the heritage and conservation sectors.

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Launch of UNESCO site Qal'at al-Bahrain and Support of Leica TruView
SCDS Group Contributes First Project to Support TruView
By: Elizabeth Lee
February 27th, 2009

We are proud to announce the launch of Qal'at al-Bahrain on CyArk. This site was contributed to our archive by SCDS Group who collected the data in collaboration with the Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Culture and Information.

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Cultural Heritage as Lawsuit Pay-out?
Irreplaceable Persian Tablets Threatened
By: Justin Barton
February 23rd, 2009

In the 1930s a great archaeological discovery was made: a group of tens of thousands of clay tablets, ranging from nugget-sized to place mat-sized, describing the daily internal life of the Persian Empire.

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China Wants Zodiac Sculptures Returned
Contested cultural relics create conflict
By: Dan Walsh
February 17th, 2009

Cultural artifacts are a funny lot. They tend to move around frequently, and in doing so become ambassadors of a particular culture to the entire world. It's a wonderful thing that a child in France can learn about ancient China simply by going to a museum a few blocks from her home.

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Top 5 Endangered Heritage Sites - Desertification
5 Sites at High Risk from the Hazards Associated with Desertification
By: John Mink
February 9th, 2009

In this continuing series by CyArk, we explore just a few of the world's most endangered heritage sites in several categories, separated by the general nature of the hazards they face. This week, we take a look at the urgent problem of desertification, an under-publicized but dramatic effect of environmental degradation and climate change.

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Digital Archaeology Workshops February 2009
Truro College, University of Plymouth Hosts International Delagates
By: Elizabeth Lee
February 5th, 2009

February 19th-22nd, 2009 Truro College will host the Digital Archaeology Workshops. This workshop has attracted a group of international delegates to discuss and promote the development and more widespread application of digital techniques to archaeological survey, recording, preservation and interpretation.

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CyArk to Sponsor Heritage Sessions at Spar 2009
Annual Conference on 3D Imaging and Scanning to be Held March 30-April 1
By: Elizabeth Lee
January 28th, 2009

The annual Spar conference on 3D Imaging and Scanning will be held in Denver, Colorado, March 30- April 1. Spar is the world's best attended 3D imaging and scanning-focused conference. The conference offers sessions ranging from industrial plant manufacturing and nuclear power to new imaging technologies and civil transportation.

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Top 5 Endangered Heritage Sites - Tourism
5 Sites at High Risk from the Hazards Associated with Large-Scale Visitor Traffic
By: John Mink
January 19th, 2009

In this continuing series by CyArk, we explore just a few of the world's most endangered heritage sites in several categories, separated by the general nature of the hazards they face. In this week's category, Tourism, we confront a complex issue: How can we properly protect fragile sites that are so beloved by the public that their future is now at risk from overuse? Increased tourism (or the promise of it) is often the driving force behind the highest-profile efforts aimed at preserving cultural heritage sites, and it has likely saved many sites that may have been otherwise neglected or destroyed.

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Top 5 Endangered Heritage Sites - Acid Rain
5 Sites at High Risk from the Hazards Associated with Acid Rain and Similar Industrial Pollutants
By: John Mink
January 9th, 2009

In this continuing series by CyArk, we explore just a few of the world's most endangered heritage sites in several categories, separated by the general nature of the hazards they face. One of the most severe and looming threats to ancient heritage is posed by the byproducts of industrial contamination of the environment in which these sites endure.

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Announcing the Digital Nineveh Archives
Original Nineveh Excavation Records Now Available
By: Elizabeth Lee
January 7th, 2009

CyArk is proud to announce the launch of Nineveh on CyArk, as part of the larger Digital Nineveh Archives. Nineveh (ancient Ninua) (36°22'N 43°09'E) is situated close to the confluence of the Tigris and Khosr Rivers, within the modern city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

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New Exhibit at Ars Electronica Takes Visitors On-Site with CyArk
3D Point Clouds Showcased in the New Deep Space Exhibit
By: Elizabeth Lee
January 6th, 2009

On January 2nd, 2009 the new Ars Electronica Center opened its doors for the first time. The "Museum of the Future" boasts 3,000 m2 of space for exhibits, including their new Deep Space exhibit. Deep Space enables visitors to travel through space and time and immerse themselves in 3D stereo universes.

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CyArk to Chair Session at CAA 2009 in Williamsburg, Virginia
Deadline to Submit Abstracts extended to December 22nd
By: Elizabeth Lee
December 17th, 2008

This year CyArk will chair a session at the Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) conference to be held in Williamsburg, Virginia. As taken from their website, "The CAA is an international organization bringing together archaeologists, mathemeticians and computer scientists.

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Top 5 Endangered Heritage Sites- Flooding and Dambuilding
5 Sites at High Risk from Changing Water Tables and Proposed Dam Projects
By: John Mink
December 15th, 2008

As has unfortunately been demonstrated time and time again, some of the world's greatest cultural heritage sites are critically at risk of destruction. From the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan to the Namademun Gate in South Korea to countless ancient sites in the massive area flooded by the Three Gorges Dam in China, peoples' actions and the destructive potential of natural elements have caused irreparable harm to some of the most important works that humankind has created.

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China Takes Unusual Measures to Gain UNESCO Listing
Restrictions on Building Height Increase Natural Beauty
By: Dan Walsh
December 12th, 2008

Usually, when a government tries to gain UNESCO World Heritage status for one of their country's sites, they pour resources into reinforcing crumbling walls or stifling erosion. China likes to do things a little differently, however.

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Former CEO of Leica Geosystems Backs CyArk Preservation Effort
By: Dan Walsh
December 5th, 2008

Spar Point Research, a leading market research group for new 3d technologies, posted an article about Hans Hess's financial support of CyArk's preservation efforts. Hans and Sylvia Hess attended our Monte Alban workshop this past October.

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By: Erika Blecha
December 1st, 2008

I have been a CyArk intern for over a year now, and I am currently a senior anthropology major at the University of California at Berkeley. I have spent my summers excavating in the Belize jungles but for the past two months I have been conducting research in the CyArk offices.

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CyArk Presents at DMACH Conference
Digital Media Conferenece in Jordan Attracts International Audience
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 15th, 2008

Last week I traveled to Amman, Jordan to give a paper at the Digital Media Applications in Cultural Heritage (DMACH) conference. DMACH 2008 was hosted by the Center for Study of Architecture in the Arab Region (CSAAR), and held jointly with their annual CSAAR conference.

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New Features for Keeping Tabs
By: Dan Walsh
November 10th, 2008

We've recently launched a few, new features in an effort to help keep everyone informed and "in the loop" regarding CyArk's activities, news, and upcoming projects. The first and most notable edition is the news feed on the home page.

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Iraqi Scholars Work with CyArk to Create a Digital Nineveh
Training workshop at Durham University to digitize old Nineveh records
By: Elizabeth Lee
November 4th, 2008

I am traveling on a southbound train to London after an exciting two day workshop at Durham University. With WiFi access on the trains I figured this was the perfect opportunity for an on-the-road blog.

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Kress Foundation Supports CyArk Workshop
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 27th, 2008

This weekend CyArk held its third workshop in a series of workshops to strategize and organize the launch of an upcoming initiative. We are very pleased to announce that the Samuel H. Kress Foundation generously agreed to support this workshop.

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Inaugural CyArk Development Workshop at Monte Alban
VIPs Travel with CyArk to Learn about the Importance of Heritage Preservation
By: Ben Kacyra
October 20th, 2008

Last week we held the inaugural CyArk development workshop at Monte Alban, Mexico. Several VIP's traveled to Oaxaca in order to learn more about CyArk and discuss future development opportunities. Among the VIP’s were Hans and Sylvia Hess, David and Lynn Olson and Professor Bernard Frischer.

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Adventures in Archaeology at Monte Alban
CyArk post from the field
By: Elizabeth Lee
October 13th, 2008

Four full days in the field resulted in lots of scan data, lots of photos, and lots of scrapes and bruises but little energy left to blog. In an effort to make this the first official CyArk blog from the field, I am writing this from the airport in Mexico City.

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CyArk at Google Zeitgeist 2008
Ben Kacyra Speaks to Crowd of over 500 at Annual Summit
By: Dan Walsh
October 6th, 2008

Ben Kacyra recently presented at the 2008 Google Zeitgeist conference, an annual gathering of doers and thinkers from all over the world. His talk was included in the Serious Sustainability portion of the conference and focused on CyArk's mission of sustaining and sharing cultural heritage for future generations.

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CyArk Digitally Reconstructs 16th Century Portal
By: Elizabeth Lee
August 1st, 2008

CyArk recently partnered with the University of San Francisco, Leica Geosystems, and INSIGHT to digitally reconstruct a 16th century stone portal. The portal was originally part of the monastery of Santa Maria de Ovila in northern Spain.

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Professional Surveyor: Ancient History Meets New Technology
By: Elizabeth Lee
March 1st, 2008

It's 12:30 a.m., and I'm watching a tiny green laser trace the outline of an 800-year-old Mayan pyramid—up and down, up and down. We have already been on site scanning for a couple of hours and have a couple of more to go.

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South Korea’s historic Namdaemun Gate destroyed by fire
By: John Mink
February 13th, 2008

The Republic of Korea has suffered the loss of one of its greatest national historic treasures. Seoul’s 610 year-old Namdaemun (Great Southern Gate) was set ablaze by an arsonist on the evening of February 10th, 2008.

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Modeling Mesa Verde National Park With Lasers
By: Kurt Repanshek
February 6th, 2008

Time is constantly a threat to Mesa Verde National Park. As it passes, and brings with it erosion, rock falls and possibly earthquakes, the park's ruins are at risk of collapse. But a new laser technology is providing the park with, in essence, blueprints of the ruins.

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Tudor Place: Democracy Starts at Home
Peeling back the layers of a Neoclassical masterpiece and the architectural ideals that surround it
By: Zach Mortice
December 11th, 2007

As a town so solidly rooted in 19th-century architecture, Washington, D.C., has no lack of Neoclassical flourishes—wide domes, stately columns, magnificent distances, and egalitarian symmetry. But almost as a rule, this isn’t seen in residences.

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Heritage Makes a Strong Showing at Annual Leica Geosystems User Conference
By: John Loomis
October 31st, 2007

The documentation of sites of cultural heritage made a strong showing, among the usual industrial applications for laser scanning, at the Leica Geosystems User Conference held in San Ramon, California October 22-24.

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2007 Ancient Merv Project: High Definition Documentation
By: Justin Barton
October 27th, 2007

I have just returned from Turkmenistan after a six-week collaboration with the Ancient Merv Project for its 2007 field season. The ongoing project by the Institute of Archaeology (IoA) at University College London (UCL) is in collaboration with the State Historical and Cultural Park Ancient Merv and this year expanded its collaboration to include the professional UK surveying firm Plowman Craven and Associates (PCA) and CyArk.

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Preservation by Documentation: The CyArk Commitment
By: Justin Barton
October 15th, 2007

4,000 years of history lie beneath the Karakum desert in the form of the remains of an ancient city, Merv. Strategically located at an oasis along the now extinct land-based trade routes of Central Asia, Merv's site made it a great regional capital for both trade and politics for over 2,500 years.

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CyArk Travels to Mesa Verde National Park
By: Elizabeth Lee
September 11th, 2007

CyArk team memebers Ben Kacyra and Elizabeth Lee recently traveled to Mesa Verde National Park as part of an on location shoot for the new PBS show, Wired Science. In addition to giving interviews about CyArk’s mission and documentation methods, the team preformed a High Definition Documentation of the alcove site Square Tower House.

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Consequences of Global Warming
By: Landon Silla
August 22nd, 2007

Introduction Among the academics and scientists of the world, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the specifics of predicting global warming. However, there is one thing that they all agree on; global warming is happening and sea levels will rise if we continue on our current course.

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Global Warming’s Effect on Heritage Sites
By: Landon Silla
August 15th, 2007

CyArk announces its newest feature, a fully interactive Hazard Map showing inundation levels and plotting previously recorded earthquakes. Everyday, global warming is becoming more and more of a reality and one of the many consequences of this is glacial melt which is slowly but surely raising the current sea level.

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Frequently Asked Questions - Hazard Map
By: Landon Silla
August 14th, 2007

I have been receiving questions from fellow colleagues well as the public concerning the Hazard Map. I have complied a list of a few relevant questions and have included answers for your reading pleasure.

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San Francisco Chronicle: Laser Mapping Tool Traces Ancient Sites
By: Tom Abate
July 22nd, 2007

Orinda retiree Ben Kacyra has made the biggest contribution to archeological research since Indiana Jones added the bullwhip to his field kit. Kacyra, who made his fortune as an inventor and civil engineer, has created a foundation to explore the research of a cameralike device that uses lasers to scan three-dimensional objects -- such as archaeological ruins -- to create digital blueprints accurate to within a few millimeters.

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CyArk Article in the San Francisco Chronicle
By: Elizabeth Lee
June 23rd, 2007

Last week the CyArk offices received a visit from San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Tom Abate. Mr. Abate is a Science and Technology writer for the Chronicle and was particularly interested in the mechanics behind the laser scanner and the innovations taking place at CyArk today.

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The NEW 7 Wonders of the World
By: Dan Walsh
June 14th, 2007

Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Maussollos, Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria - of the original Seven Wonders of the World, only one remains.

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Laser Technologies Document Historic Muslim Site in Cairo
By: AScribe Newswire
April 25th, 2007

The CyArk 3D Heritage Archive has archived 3D digital documentation of the Bab al-Barqiyya gate of the Ayyubid Wall, part of an extensive historic preservation and development project in Cairo of the Historic Cities Support Programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

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Historic Preservation through Hi-Def Documentation
By: John Ristevski, Anthony Fassero, John Loomis
February 7th, 2007

The world is losing its important cultural-heritage sites faster than they can be preserved. Unlike artifacts, safely housed in museums or private collections, heritage sites are exposed to the ravages of time, environmental degradation, and human interventions that range from poorly managed tourism to looting and acts of war.

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New Technologies Applied to Ancient Sites at Mesa Verde
By: John Loomis
February 1st, 2007

Orinda, Calif. - The Kacyra Family Foundation has received a grant from the U.S. National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training for the purpose of advancing archaeology documentation methods in Mesa Verde National Park.

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ArchNet Announces CyArk Archive Launch
October 2nd, 2006

Global cultural heritage is being lost faster than it can be documented; and a new cultural heritage archive, CyArk, is working to slow this loss. Utilizing proprietary technology for 3D laser scans, CyArk is able to quickly document, archive, and provide online access to participating heritage sites.

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CyArk 3D Heritage Archive is Up!!
October 2nd, 2006

"John Loomis of CyArk, a nonprofit organization dedicated toward "Preserving World Heritage Sites through collecting, archiving and providing open access to data created by laser scanning, digital modeling, and other state-of-the-art technologies", recently circulated an important announcement of interest to DDIG members.

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RICS Scans for Plans
September 25th, 2006

"CyArk, the non-profit organisation which preserves endangered World Heritage sites, has put together a team of survey engineers and archaeologists to demonstrate high definition laser scanning to survey archaeological sites in Mesa Verde National Park, USA.

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Open-access digital archive of international archaeological sites set to launch
By: Joann Gonchar
September 14th, 2006

Conservators, architects, academics, and armchair archaeologists will soon be able to access detailed digital documentation of some of the world’s most famous cultural sites via the Web. At press time, the nonprofit Kacyra Family Foundation (KFF) was slated to launch its CyArk 3D Heritage Archive in mid-August.

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Professional Surveyor Recognizes CyArk Co-Founder
By: Tom Gibson
September 13th, 2006

Professional Surveyor Magazine has honored CyArk co-founder Ben Kacyra as one of the 25 most influential individuals in the surveying community. "As a civil engineer who taught surveying at the college level and the head of Cygna Consultants, a major architectural and engineering firm, Kacyra knew first hand the challenges of gathering accurate, complete as-built data for complex plants and facilities.

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Laser Scanning for Cultural Heritage Applications
By: John Ristevski
March 1st, 2006

Cultural Heritage can be defined as monuments, buildings, or landscapes of "outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science." These sites are often under threat from environmental conditions, structural instability, increased tourism and development, and they are most likely under-funded, and hence, inadequately documented and maintained.

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Shooting the Mayan Pyramids of Tikal
HDRI and laserscanning the pyramids of Tikal.
By: Michelle Bienias
February 12th, 2006

In the forests of Guatemala’s El Petén region lie the ruined cities of one of the world’s great ancient cultures, the Maya. Tikal was the largest and one of the most important urban centers of Mayan culture during its time, around 500AD.

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CyArk International Conference
June 25th, 2004

KFF sponsored the 1st CyArk International Conference on 3D Laser Scanning Applications for Heritage which took place in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

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Laser To Take Stock of Heritage Sites
Camera has 'surgical' accuracy that supplies 3-D images, allowing for the study or creation of replicas, system's creator says
By: Ricardo Sanchez Jr.
March 7th, 2004

Imagine a device with spiderlike tripod legs, connected to a large cube that shoots a green laser beam. The beam scans the Orinda Theatre, then boomerangs back to a wired laptop computer. No, it's not Star Wars.

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CyArk Presenting at Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Digital Reconstruction of Manzanar, Topaz, and Tule Lake
By: Elizabeth Lee
To be determined

94646556565

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CyArk Presenting at Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Digital Reconstruction of Manzanar, Topaz, and Tule Lake
By: Elizabeth Lee
To be determined

94646556565

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