Are there ancient monuments in the "cloud"? Put on technological "armor" for Beijing's central axis!

The Beijing Central Axis is like a link that travels through time and space, connecting thousands of years of historical memory and infinite imagination of the future. With the successful application of the Beijing Central Axis for World Heritage status, it carries not only the royal atmosphere and the fireworks of the market, but also a vivid display of the profound cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.

Today, we specially invited Zhou Ziyu, Director of the Heritage Monitoring Department of Beijing Central Axis Heritage Protection Center (Beijing World Cultural Heritage Monitoring Center) , to unveil the mystery of the heritage monitoring platform for us and talk about how to use modern information technology to clad cultural relics in the armor of science and technology.

0 1What are the main functions and objectives of the Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage Monitoring and Protection Platform?

The heritage monitoring and protection platform is mainly to assist in the application for World Heritage status. After the application is successful, the core area and buffer zone of the heritage will be monitored, and the protection of the old city of Beijing and the scientific management of Beijing will be assisted. Our role is to ensure that the authenticity and integrity of the universal value highlighted by the central axis are effectively protected.

0 2Which advanced technologies are mainly integrated in the process of building the platform? How do they work together?

We used Beidou satellites, 3D digital twin structures, mobile street view cameras, and IoT monitoring devices placed on the cultural relics. The vibration, displacement, microenvironment and other information monitored by the IoT devices will be transmitted to the monitoring platform through 5G technology. The digital twin structure also displays detailed information of each heritage site on the platform. We also collect the number of tourists through digital cleaning and aggregate them to the monitoring platform.

Beijing has had a lot of rain this year, which has had an impact on the cultural relics on the central axis. We track and monitor the buildings at these heritage sites in real time, and have found that the paint on some of the ancient buildings at these heritage sites has begun to fall off due to the heavy rain. We will then proceed to deal with these damaged sites.

0 3Can you introduce us to the "Cloud Central Axis" app? What is the significance of the "Digital Night Watchman" for the protection of the Central Axis heritage?

In order to allow more Beijing citizens and the general public to participate in the monitoring and protection of the Central Axis heritage, we have launched the "Central Axis on the Cloud" app. Everyone can visit the Central Axis in their spare time, take photos of the local diseases of the Central Axis heritage with their mobile phones, and upload them to the monitoring platform. Our professional technicians will then conduct technical analysis on the photos uploaded by these volunteers.

The digital night watchman has currently received nearly 80,000 pieces of information through mobile phone QR code scanning, and nearly 30,000 pieces of valid monitoring data have been uploaded to the large monitoring screen.

For example, a total of 160 boundary markers are set up in the core area and buffer zone of the Central Axis Heritage. It is very difficult for our professional staff to monitor these 160 boundary markers for a long time. By allowing volunteers to participate in this work, they can use the map on the mini program to find out where the nearest boundary marker is near their home or work environment, and they can take photos and upload information nearby.

0 4What are the main challenges encountered in the process of using scientific and technological means to monitor and protect the cultural heritage of the Central Axis? What measures have been taken to solve these problems?

There are certainly challenges. For example, monitoring is a brand new job in heritage protection. Colleagues doing this work have never been exposed to it before. We need to understand its technical nature, learn about it, and after learning, be able to combine technology with monitoring work well.

0 5What role does digital twin technology play in the platform? How can it help us better understand and protect the cultural heritage of the Central Axis?

Digital twin technology is a process of collecting data on cultural relics through laser scanning, 3D modeling and other professional technologies, and then finally forming a three-dimensional digital twin image of ancient buildings. Ancient buildings, ancient trees, and some conditions of ancient streets can all be displayed on the three-dimensional digital twin map.

In the past, when we were engaged in monitoring work, we mainly relied on visual inspection for cultural relics protection. But now with advanced technical means, we can save a lot of manpower through some advanced instruments. With the advancement of science and technology, monitoring methods may also introduce drones and robots, and cultural relics protection work will definitely be taken to a higher level.

0 6What are your plans and visions for the future development of the platform? What role do you think technology will play in the future protection of cultural heritage?

We have created a smart central axis, where visitors can learn about the history and culture of the central axis through the Internet and mobile apps, especially for students who have a heavy academic burden, without having to go to the central axis site. With the development of the times and the advancement of science and technology, the central axis will be promoted more, and we hope that everyone will learn more about Beijing's central axis.

Planning: Liu Kun, Li Peiyuan, Zhang Chao, Yang Liu

Editor: Dong Xiaoxian