Physics Today: CyArk, a US nonprofit organization, and the US National Park Service are aiming to digitally preserve Mount Rushmore in South Dakota next month by scanning it with a series of laser beams. The three-dimensional model will be accurate to within 3mm.
The digital record will be created with technical and logistical support from the Scottish government department Historic Scotland and its partner, the Glasgow School of Art, as part of a broad international collaboration in developing preservation techniques for at-risk historical sites."While Mount Rushmore is a national icon in the US, there is expertise in other countries which can assist us to preserve it in a modern context,” says Gerard Baker, superintendent at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, at a press conference announcing the deal.The record is to help re-create the monument if it falls victim to a climate change, natural disaster, war, or terrorism.Some historical artifacts have already been lost and scientists have been unable to re-create the original artifacts because of the lack of records. A classic example is Afghanistan’s 2000-year-old Buddha statues in the Bamiyan province, which were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Other sites at risk include the Acropolis in Athens which is threatened by acid rain, and Machu Picchu in Peru.CyArk’s ultimate aim is to create 3D models of 500 threatened sites around the world. Related LinkHistoric Scotland Launch Scottish and International 3D Scanning Project
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
