Using Digital Technology to Preserve Cultural Heritage
Digitization is one way to make cultural heritage a legacy for the future generations, according to NTT Data Asia Pacific chief executive Ken Tsuchihashi. NTT Data is the Japanese tech company behind the digital archiving of many of the world’s cultural assets, including the recently launched Asean Cultural Heritage Digital Archive (ACHDA) with support of the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).
Cultural heritage relics are known for being extremely susceptible to natural or man-made disasters or degradation. Often, restorations are carried out from time to time with hopes that the asset in hand can return to its original state. On the ACHDA, the smallest objects submitted were Malaysian 16th-century gold coins with a diameter of 1 centimeter. One of them was the gold coin used in the reign of Sultan Alau’uddin Riayat Shah. Meanwhile, the largest object to date is the Paris Clock submitted by the National Library of Thailand with a height of 202.5 meters. The clock is adorned with golden carvings of the clash between lightning goddess Mekhala and thunder god Ramansura.
