Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Allen Hyde, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Robert Adams, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Shadi Alathamneh, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Sabri AlFdool, Government, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 5: Junshan Liu, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 6: Maria Jose VIÑALS, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Robert Adams, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Shadi Alathamneh, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Sabri AlFdool, Government, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 5: Junshan Liu, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 6: Maria Jose VIÑALS, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Theater
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: This format will leverage the expertise of a multidisciplinary team from the USA, Spain, and Jordan to showcase experiences from several UNESCO sites. We will have a sociologist with expertise in inequality and climate resilience as our moderator (Hyde), and speakers who oversee UNESCO heritage sites (Adams as the Executive Director of the Penn Center and Fdool as the Director of the Tourism & Marketing Directorate at the Petra Development & Regional Tourism Authority), and how we are leveraging the latest environmental monitoring and building technology tools to train the next generation (Alathamneh, Liu) of researchers, reality capture experts, and heritage managers. Adding an important layer to reality capture and performance analysis is Heritage Tourism Management (Vinals). The organizer/rapporteur (Willkens) is an architectural historian and designer who will capture the multifaceted aspects of the conversation as a hybrid event.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: This format will leverage the expertise of a multidisciplinary team from the USA, Spain, and Jordan to showcase experiences from several UNESCO sites. We will have a sociologist with expertise in inequality and climate resilience as our moderator (Hyde), and speakers who oversee UNESCO heritage sites (Adams as the Executive Director of the Penn Center and Fdool as the Director of the Tourism & Marketing Directorate at the Petra Development & Regional Tourism Authority), and how we are leveraging the latest environmental monitoring and building technology tools to train the next generation (Alathamneh, Liu) of researchers, reality capture experts, and heritage managers. Adding an important layer to reality capture and performance analysis is Heritage Tourism Management (Vinals). The organizer/rapporteur (Willkens) is an architectural historian and designer who will capture the multifaceted aspects of the conversation as a hybrid event.
Policy Question(s)
1. How can virtual experiences of heritage sites be accessed through online platforms without compromising site safety and security or infringing upon sacred sites or intangible heritage?
2. How can reality captures showcased online and on-site community-based tourism fortify local expertise and build entrepreneurialism?
3. How can digital monitoring systems in heritage sites help mitigate risks related to climate change?
What will participants gain from attending this session? By sharing the experiences of two case studies and perspectives of subject experts, this workshop will explore applications and considerations for documentation and analysis techniques at other threatened World Heritage sites, especially those under mounting pressures from climate change and overtourism. The workshop will present a balanced perspective to the widespread socio-economic impacts of heritage tourism, questioning how digital tours can improve access and augment on-site entrepreneurship. Additionally, continuous digital sensor-based monitoring through secured online platforms for remote access can responsibly support and protect sites, augmenting disaster and emergency planning and implementation. This focus on protecting cultural heritage underscores the importance of safeguarding sites for sustainable development and integrated growth. The team will present methods for the promotion of cultural heritage that can contribute to economic growth and social cohesion.
SDGs
Description:
The workshop will explore the opportunities and challenges associated with reality capture, interactivity, and online capacity building for heritage sites. Cultural heritage is at the foundation of most of the SDGs since it is related to enhancing quality education, as well as building sustainable cities and communities (SDG11) that cultivate decent work and economic growth. By introducing reality capture techniques and online heritage interactivity options, cultural and historic sites can help reduce the barriers to exploration, whether financial or physical, and thereby reduce inequality. Deeper exploration of sites, augmented by AR, VR, and digital monitoring, can also facilitate responsible construction and production in relation to heritage planning and tourism management, allowing sites to better navigate climate action and foster stronger institutions and partnerships for sustainable development goals. Addressing the digital divide can reduce poverty and improve educational opportunities, but there are key questions to address when dealing with delicate cultural corridors such as improved privacy and accountability to mitigate the risks related to surveillance. To explore practical aspects of heritage documentation in conjunction with ethical considerations in the development and deployment of emerging technologies at historical and cultural sites, this workshop will feature two main case studies: the Petra UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The case studies will present diverse cultural and climatic conditions, with clear workflows and methodologies for applying lessons learned to other sites to better manage visitor experiences and impacts through designed interventions, risk management procedures, and online interactivity for enriched on-site and online historic interpretation. Digital documentation, analysis, and dissemination are critical components for sustainable 21st century heritage management, especially for sites with mounting climate change and overtourism pressures.
The workshop will explore the opportunities and challenges associated with reality capture, interactivity, and online capacity building for heritage sites. Cultural heritage is at the foundation of most of the SDGs since it is related to enhancing quality education, as well as building sustainable cities and communities (SDG11) that cultivate decent work and economic growth. By introducing reality capture techniques and online heritage interactivity options, cultural and historic sites can help reduce the barriers to exploration, whether financial or physical, and thereby reduce inequality. Deeper exploration of sites, augmented by AR, VR, and digital monitoring, can also facilitate responsible construction and production in relation to heritage planning and tourism management, allowing sites to better navigate climate action and foster stronger institutions and partnerships for sustainable development goals. Addressing the digital divide can reduce poverty and improve educational opportunities, but there are key questions to address when dealing with delicate cultural corridors such as improved privacy and accountability to mitigate the risks related to surveillance. To explore practical aspects of heritage documentation in conjunction with ethical considerations in the development and deployment of emerging technologies at historical and cultural sites, this workshop will feature two main case studies: the Petra UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The case studies will present diverse cultural and climatic conditions, with clear workflows and methodologies for applying lessons learned to other sites to better manage visitor experiences and impacts through designed interventions, risk management procedures, and online interactivity for enriched on-site and online historic interpretation. Digital documentation, analysis, and dissemination are critical components for sustainable 21st century heritage management, especially for sites with mounting climate change and overtourism pressures.
Expected Outcomes
The team has worked together for several years and participated in fieldwork and workshop exercises. The goal is to continue open source publishing on heritage reality capture, Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM), proactive preservation planning through digital analysis, avatar tourism, and tourism management conceptual basis and digital technologies. We will be running a workshop at CIPA 2025 Heritage Conservation from Bits: Digital Documentation to Data-driven Heritage Conservation in Seoul, South Korea (August 24), so feedback from this IGF session, as well as overall participation in the forum, will inform that half-day interactive, case study-based tutorial. Moving forward, we hope to gather experts for intensive workshops in Atlanta, USA; Valencia, Spain; and Amman, Jordan to further test metrics and share best practices in hopes of forming perspectives with global input.
Hybrid Format: As a group of educators and heritage professionals with broad experience working with different audiences, we will use interactive online tools to engage in-person and online participants: Padlet to source participant locations and create live visualizations on a Google Map and Slido for real-time question collection and crowd voting. To encourage collaboration after the event, we will share contact information and a list of readings and open-source tools (e.g., model online tours, Cloud Compare, etc.). The tool list will be posted as part of an online forum, active during the conference, so that we can crowd-source a more complete database. The team will also establish several remote participation hubs through Georgia Tech’s Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems and the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), the Penn Center, Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), the Penn Center in conjunction with the Gullah Geechee Nation, and the Petra Regional Tourism Authority.