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Example of how Sandstone can be used – Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Background Photo Copyright: © 2009 Google – Imagery ©2009 DigitalGlobe, GeoEye
Using open source tools, Azavea created a desktop software application that enables multiple users to track and query information about architectural structures in need of conservation and share that info using a collaborative peer network design
Client: World Monuments Fund
Challenge: The World Monuments Fund manages nearly 150 cultural heritage preservation projects around the globe. Before restoration work can begin, however, the architectural features of a site must be surveyed and documented. With a staff of hundreds of conservationists spread out at sites in many different countries and using a variety of databases, coordinating and synchronizing the survey results at any site was difficult and inefficient. Using a tablet PC, surveys were often conducted at remote locations without an option for distributed database sharing, servers to organize the data, or even an internet connection. Once the data had been collected, the conservationists needed to be able to synchronize the changes from many tablets and share them with other users.
Solution: In partnership with Integrated Conservation Resources, Azavea developed Sandstone, a desktop software application that enables conservators to capture and save notes and drawings on a tablet PC. Using the tablet’s stylus, users can draw points, lines, or polygons to create “conditions” or “objects” on top of an image, CAD drawing, or shape file in order to identify certain architectural features or damaged areas. They can then fill out a form containing many different fields and associate that metadata with the condition or object. In order to keep the data consistent and share information between tablet PCs, Azavea created a peer-to-peer network design using the JXTA library. By synchronizing their tablet with another PC tablet or server, conservationists can share their data and ensure they have the most up to date information about other projects at the conservation site.
Outcomes: Sandstone allows an unlimited number of users to efficiently and accurately gather and share information in areas that may not have ideal technical access or capabilities. With its flexible user interface and various data fields, Sandstone can be adapted to fit the needs of a variety of cultural heritage sites while still providing a unified application for managing architectural details.