Saudi Arabia, UNESCO launch “Dive into Heritage” to promote, conserve World Heritage sites

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and UNESCO have highlighted the “Dive into Heritage” initiative that will leverage digital technologies to explore and conserve UNESCO World Heritage sites and their related intangible heritage.

In the “Dive into Heritage”, the team has developed an online platform that will create unique ways to digitally experience World Heritage.

The platform harnesses the power of digital technology such as 3D models, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), interactive maps and geolocated narratives to recreate a truly accurate and immersive digital viewing experience.

The ‘Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Funds-in-Trust for Culture at UNESCO’ was established in 2019, following a commitment of $25 million from the Government to fund UNESCO projects in support of the strategy and actions for the preservation of heritage.

“The endless potential uses of Artificial Intelligence will allow us to transform the way in which people can experience heritage,” Assistant Director General for Culture at UNESCO Ernesto Ottone said.

“An innovative project such as Dive into Heritage demonstrates the various uses of AI, bringing heritage sites to life, like never before. The narratives and stories this technology helps create will resonate for generations to come, and enable people to live a piece of history.” He said at the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Riyadh,

The event included a panel discussion where some key contributors to the project discussed how technology can contribute to heritage interpretation and preservation using digital storytelling techniques.

The event was also an opportunity to showcase some of the first results of this innovative project. Video animations of high-resolution 3D models of World Heritage sites were displayed in addition to 3D printed replicas that provided a closer look at the digitization process required to build the Dive into Heritage platform.