If you spot teams of people clicking away with elaborate professional equipment at the Gateway of India one of these days, chances are they might be more than avid photographers.
Since Tuesday, global non-profit organisation CyArk, along with data storage firm Seagate, have undertaken the arduous task of digitally recreating the iconic monument that stands guard at the southern end of the city, with the aid of high-resolution photography, laser scanning technology and drones.
The objective is to build a detailed digital model of the Gateway, built to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder, to serve as a reference point not just for a planned holistic revamp of the monument in the next financial year, but also for all future conservation efforts.
“By natural or accidental reasons, if the structure is damaged, it can be restored to its original position with the help of this data, which was earlier done with the help of photographs and drawings,” said Tejas Garge, Director, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums.
He said, “Proper documentation of the structure has to be done before taking up conservation work. Since that would be done by this agency, it will not be required later. On the basis of this study, we will prepare an estimate of conservation as well as holistic management plan of the Gateway of India, which we will undertake in the coming financial year.”
The Gateway being a public site, the digital recreation is easier said than done, with the constant stream of visitors interfering with the team’s efforts to capture every intricate detail.
“Being right on the bank of the Arabian Sea, the monument risks erosion due to the exposure to saline water, and moisture in the air. During the monsoon, the stones of the monument absorb water, causing a change in its colour. The Gateway of India is a magnificent monument and it deserves to be preserved at any cost,” Christopher Dang, field director, CyArk said.
“The light and weather conditions continue to pose a challenge as well. The appearance of the monument changes with the movement of the sun, and we need consistent lighting and weather for accurate data to be gathered. We try to photograph the shaded side of the monument so that there are no harsh shadows and work in accordance with the sun’s movements in order to maintain consistency,” Mr. Dang said.
While the photography part is expected to be complete within two days, the task ahead is a herculean one. He said, “After the data is collected and a back-up created, we will store it in a secure offsite location. Once backed up, we will distribute it across multiple computers in order to be more efficient with our processing time.”
The raw conversion and colour correction of all the photo data will be used to generate a 3D mesh using the depth maps calculated from the pictures. The mesh will then be cleaned and the model will be used to create architectural elevations, which will then be delivered to the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, to be used for preservation or repair work in future.
While data gathering is likely to finish on Saturday, officials said the processing may take three to four months. Officials from the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums said the data will be made available on the directorate’s website. Mr Garge said, “While citizens can also access the data [eventually], it is primarily for conservation.”
