Winner of the Global IT Competition: iDiscover Ahmedabad
Ester Van Steekelenburg and Sameeha Sheth are the first place winners of the Global IT Competition for innovative digital heritage platforms. Their app, iDiscover Ahmedabad is a community based app for storytelling and wayfinding proving themed ‘heritage trails’ through the city of Ahmedabad. The competition was organized by the #2021debate team for Information Technology and prices for the first, second and third winners were sponsored by partners Zoller + Fröhlich, CapturingReality, World Sensing, Cintoo, Timelooper, ILUCIDARE and WHIPIC.
First place:
iDiscover Ahmedabad: A community curated app for storytelling and wayfinding proving themed ‘heritage trails’ through Ahmedabad
Winners: Ester Van Steekelenburg and Sameeha Sheth
The 1st place winner of the Transformational Impacts of Information Technology Global Competition, led by Ester Van Steekelenburg and Sameeha Sheth, entrepreneurs and respected experts in the field of heritage conservation in India and elsewhere in Asia, proposed the further implementation of a community and user feedback platform called the iDiscover app, a powerful GPS-based storytelling and wayfinding app capable of providing community curated ‘heritage trails.’ This app allows the presentation of themed walking or cycling itineraries, supported by short narratives and quality visuals. The mapping technology and a digital publication platform offer an accessible, practical, and inexpensive IT solution for more inclusive management and branding of World Heritage cities. The approach overcomes the disconnection that often occurs between residents and managers of World Heritage. The winning submission proposed a bottom-up, community-led process for residents of the old city of Ahmedabad to gain agency in the presentation, interpretation, and preservation of the heritage site in which they live and work. It proposed acknowledging the context’s diversity and finding common ground among different gender, economic, and religious groups. Also, it provided a platform for residents to advocate their ‘story’ of place and ideas for the future. Watch the video here.
The IDISCOVER PROJECT was funded by Prince Clause Fund (PCF) and was jointly implemented by the International Center for Innovative Developments, India (Sameeha Sheth) and Urban Discovery, Hongkong (Ester van Steekelenburg).
The first 2nd place winner:
Wulingyuan Nature-Culture Lenses, China.
Winners: Tongji-HIST Heritage Landscape Conservation Team
The first 2nd place winner is the Tongji-HIST Heritage Landscape Conservation Team. Led by Dr. Feng HAN, Dr. Chen YANG, Prof. Fulong CHEN, and Dr. Shizhen XIAO, educators and experts in natural and cultural landscapes, information technology, and virtual reality, the proposed project, Wulingyuan Nature-Culture Lenses, is an augmented reality (AR) based smartphone application designed to enhance the interpretation of natural and cultural heritage values, while bringing awareness to and promoting world heritage values to local communities. The geo-database is loaded with a variety of ‘lenses’, such as the Geology lens, Agriculture lens, or Costume lens, that provide an interactive experience aimed at expanding perspectives. The application also boasts the broadcasting of live events to bring communities and visitors together in shared experiences.
The second 2nd place winner:
Measuring Tourism & Destination Well-being in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.
Winners: Khumbu Caretakers team
The second 2nd place winner of the Transformational Impacts of Information Technology Global Competition is the Khumbu Caretakers team, submitting the project Measuring Tourism & Destination Well-being in the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. Using Planet Happiness’ 10-step approach the project focuses on strengthening community resilience and well-being, considering the challenges caused by the pandemic that have affected international tourism and local livelihoods. Recently, Planet Happiness convened a high-level dialogue with leaders of global tourism industry on the 19th of July to discuss a 2-page COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Position paper recognising the imperative to value and measure travel and tourism’s contribution to destination well-being. Watch the video here.
The first 3rd place winner:
ARTIVE and The Arc/k Project - Ma’arrat al-Nu’man Museum and the Ancient Villages, Northern Syria
Winners: ARTIVE, The Arc/k Project and The Day After
The first 3rd place winner of the Transformational Impacts of Information Technology Global Competition is a collaborative team, ARTIVE and The Arc/k Project, who worked in partnership with The Day After Heritage Projection Initiative to build capacity for local Syrians to preserve heritage through digital documentation and combat illicit trade. While it was still accessible, several sections of the Ma’arrat al-Nu’man museum were successfully digitally catalogued by The Day After. Efforts have since pivoted to the World Heritage Site, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, Syrian Arab Republic. The Arc/k Project has taught Syrians photogrammetry technique and software processing methods for digital preservation of cultural heritage in the Dead Cities and Krak des Chevaliers.
The organizations are adapting their databases and technical workflow to accommodate user needs such as literacy, language translation, and security. They will build a reproducible citizen training and engagement model for identifying and registering heritage. The capacity-building training program covers photogrammetry and digital archiving, which will benefit The Day After and other NGOs on the ground. The project team is advised by Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research (ATHAR) Project and the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative; together, this initiative lies at the intersection of heritage monitoring, emergency response, illicit trade, and technology. Watch the video here.
The second 3rd place winner:
Primate Expertise: Using Information Technology to monitor threats in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Winners: Primate Expertise team
The second 3rd place winner of the Transformational Impacts of Information Technology Global Competition was submitted by the Primate Expertise team, led by Dr. Augustin K. Basabose. They are working in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to strengthen biodiversity conservation in the Congolese forests, home to many endemic species such as the bonobo, Grauer’s gorilla, and okapi. The primary challenges conservationists face are poaching and animal trafficking, deforestation, bush fires, and ore mining. Camera traps and drones are key technologies being used to identify and track poachers and armed groups, map illegal activities, and monitor degraded forest areas, bush fires, and unwanted cattle grazing. The captured data, downloaded daily, is being used to plan rapid interventions, inform conservation decisions, and reinforce activities that will conserve the critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla and other biodiversity in KBNP. This initiative hopes to show the value of camera traps and drone imagery as bio-monitoring tools that can be implemented in other biodiverse regions.
-
The jury concluded that the first price winners (iDiscover Ahmedabad) scores a perfect mark on the Global Competition’s evaluation rubric. The proposal includes:
includes community and other members in their team;
uses technology that matches the needs of the site;
meets the core aims of the OWH IT team, which are: 1) To strengthen the monitoring of World Heritage using Information Technologies; 2) To enhance multiple narratives in the interpretation and presentation of World Heritage Sites using Information Technologies;
acknowledges the issues and challenges that might arise and suggested methods for mitigation;
clearly describes the methods and approaches of the technology and its application;
addresses the resources and tools required to successfully implement the application;
discusses the budget thoughtfully and in detail.
The jury concluded that both second price winners (Wulingyuan Nature-Culture Lenses and Measuring Tourism & Destination Well-being) scored nearly a perfect mark on the Global Competition’s evaluation rubric. The proposals included:
include a wide range and number of community members, NGOs, and other sectors in their team;
use technology that are appropriate for the needs of the site;
meet the core aims of the OWH IT team, which are: 1) To strengthen the monitoring of World Heritage using Information Technologies; 2) To enhance multiple narratives in the interpretation and presentation of World Heritage Sites using Information Technologies;
clearly acknowledge the issues and challenges that might arise for their respective sites and have suggested methods for mitigation;
adequately describe the methods and approaches of the technology and its application;
address the resources, tools, and budget required to successfully implement the application.
The jury concluded that both third price winners (ARTIVE and The Arc/k Project and Primate Expertise) scored the same on the Global Competition’s evaluation rubric. The proposals included:
include a wide range and number of community members, NGOs, and other sectors in their team;
use technology that are appropriate for the needs of the site;
meet the core aims of the OWH IT team, which are: 1) To strengthen the monitoring of World Heritage using Information Technologies; 2) To enhance multiple narratives in the interpretation and presentation of World Heritage Sites using Information Technologies;
clearly acknowledge the issues and challenges that might arise for their respective sites and have suggested methods for mitigation;
adequately describe the methods and approaches of the technology and its application;
address the resources, tools, and budget required to successfully implement the application.
-
Announced at the Globinar 2.0 Closing Ceremony, the prizes awarded to the 1st place team include:
access to scanner from Zoller + Fröhlich, training and software included, if appropriate for your project;
1-year Xplore license from Timelooper;
Internet of Things Technology Kit from Worldsensing + training (conditional upon approval from Worldsensing and if appropriate for the project);
perpetual license for RealityCapture from CapturingReality;
2-year subscription with up to 5000 scans with Cintoo Cloud;
project featured as first place winner in OurWorldHeritage Transformational Impacts of Information Technology Catalogue of Tools;
project showcased at the World Heritage Committee meeting event in 2022.
Announced at the Globinar 2.0 Closing Ceremony, the prizes awarded to the 2nd place teams include:
access to scanner from Zoller + Fröhlich, training and software included, if appropriate for your project;
perpetual licence for RealityCapture from CapturingReality;
2-year subscription with up to 5000 scans with Cintoo Cloud;
project featured as second place winner in OurWorldHeritage Transformational Impacts of Information Technology Catalogue of Tools;
project showcased at the World Heritage Committee meeting event in 2022.
Announced at the Globinar 2.0 Closing Ceremony, the prizes awarded to the 3rd place teams include:
access to scanner from Zoller + Fröhlich, training and software included, if appropriate for your project;
perpetual licence for RealityCapture from CapturingReality;
2-year subscription with up to 5000 scans with Cintoo Cloud;
project featured as third place winner in the upcoming publication, Catalogue of Information Technology on Presentation and Monitoring;
project showcased at the World Heritage Committee meeting event in 2022;
invitation from ILUCIDARE for 4 participants to attend Autumn School on Built Heritage Documentation.
If the technology is not applicable to the project of a winner and/or not used by the team, it will be offered to other teams. Thank you to our Industry Sponsors for the prizes!
With many thanks you to the generous sponsors of this competition:
