AN AFRICAN HERITAGE DATABASE
THE VIRTUAL PRESERVATION OF AFRICA’S PAST
Heinz Rüther
Department of Geomatics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa, heinz.ruther@eng.uct.ac.za

KEY WORDS: Heritage recording, photogrammetric reconstruction, 3D visualisation, GIS, realistic models, database design

ABSTRACT:
Many of the important African heritage sites are not well known, in a bad state of repair and poorly documented. Very few are
declared World Heritage Sites and even some of those under UNESCO protection are poorly maintained, such as the WHS of Kilwa
Kisiwani and Songo Mnara in Tanzania. The population of Africa is largely unaware of the significance of these sites and generally
not in a position to visit any but those in their immediate vicinity. The author therefore proposes to record and document thehistorically most relevant of these sites using state-of-the-art digital photogrammetry as well as visualisation, GIS and databasetechnology. The digital documentation will consist of metrically correct 3D computer models (CAD), 3D interactive visualisations,
GIS coverages and databases of varying extent, which will contain site related textual and image data. This documentation can serve
for restoration, documentation for the future, scientific research and -in CD or Web page form- for education and the promotion of
tourism. The paper describes the concept of the documentation and the database and gives some examples of already completed or
initiated site documentation projects.

1. INTRODUCTION

2.1 Conservation and Restoration

With very few exceptions, heritage Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa
enjoy little attention from the local community and from theinternational public. Very few of the architectural sites in Africa
are on the World Heritage list and many suffer from neglect andare in a poor state of conservation. Documents associated withsuch sites tend to be distributed over a variety of locations andgenerally more information on sites is available in the Museums
and Archives of former colonial powers than in the countries of
their location.

An important aspect of the planned database arises from theneed to conserve and restore sites. While some of the better
known sites in Africa, especially those in areas with significant
tourism or those still in use, such as Fort Jesus in Mombassa,
Great Zimbabwe or the Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali, arewell maintained, others are in a state of severe and often rapid
degeneration. Among the latter are Fort Kilwa in Tanzania andmany of the rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia.
Photogrammetric or laser scan recording, as proposed as someof the data capturing tools for this project, differ from others,
less complex recording and visualisation techniques in that they
provide metrically accurate data. While this is less relevant for
education and tourism, it is highly significant for architectural,
historical and other scientific research as well as forconservation and restoration projects. Photogrammetricrecording of structures results in spatial data which allow the
precise measurement of dimensions, areas and volumes in CAD
and GIS systems on a computer screen or on hardcopy
diagrams.

Conservation and restoration of such sites requires accurate
spatial information such as shapes of remaining walls, locationand physical extent of eroded surfaces, thickness of walls,
dimensions of features such as windows and doors and so forth.
A spatial information system of a site will also support the
management of any restoration process.
Local education systems at all levels tend to concentrate on
recent history and emphasise international heritage, whileawareness of local heritage is limited. Providing educational
institutions with a computer-based interactive facility to viewand explore African heritage on a CD would make African
heritage more easily accessible to Africa at all educational
levels.

For the planning and execution of restoration work it isimportant to have accurate and reliable quantitative informationon the:

The author therefore proposes to establish a Database ofArchitectural Heritage Sites for Sub-Saharan African with anemphasis on 3D recording and visualisation of architectural
structures.

i.

Dimensions (lengths, areas and volumes) of structureelements to be restored
During the planning process for a restoration project it isnecessary to assess damage and evaluate the amount ofmaterial (stones, building material, chemicals, paint and soforth) required for the restoration. This information can beobtained from metrically accurate 3D models.

2. A HERITAGE DATABASE FOR SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA - BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATION
The value and need to record African Architectural Heritage
arises from diverse needs:ii.

Detail dimensions of features such as windows, doors,ornaments
Accurate dimensions of structure details and decorative
elements are relevant when destroyed sections of a

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building are to be restored. In this case dimensions ofdestroyed components can be derived from remaining
portions of buildings, assuming symmetry, and duplicated.
3D CAD models are ideally suited to extract these
dimensions.

If planned appropriately the proposed database andvisualisations will contribute significantly to the above areas ofeducation, conservation, recording for the future, scientificresearch and tourism.
2.5 Technologies Utilised

iii. Structural design
The proposed documentation and recording will be based onstate-of-the-art methods of:

The detailed 3D dimensions of buildings are required todetermine stresses and loads and design support structuresand shelters.

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.

iv. Site plans
Site maps are essential for the planning and managementof restoration projects. Such maps are traditionallyproduced using conventional survey techniques. However,photogrammetry is often better suited to the generation ofsite maps.

digital photogrammetry (aerial and close range)laser scanning
remote sensing and image processing
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and CAD
computer visualisation
database design as well as
modern surveying methods

3.
v.

PROJECT OBJECTIVESCity plans
From the above derive the principal objectives of the database,which are the provision of:

To monitor the condition of historical cities, especially inview of possible illegal destruction, modification or new
constructions, detailed City maps are required.

i.

metrically accurate 2D ground and elevation plans ofstructures as well as maps of the immediate vicinityof sites for analysis by historians, archaeologist,architects, conservationists and/or other scientistsii.

accurate full 3D computer models, visualisations andvirtual reality scenes (walk-through and fly over) as
permanent and metrically accurate records ofstructures in digital and hard copy form to guarantee
survival of the design in case of deterioration or
partial or complete destruction.

Each of the sets of 3D data will be integrated into a Spatial
Information System (SIS/GIS) of the site.
In general, it can be said without much fear of contradiction thata SIS is today considered essential for any conservation or
restoration project.
2.2 Heritage-Oriented Education
Due to lack of heritage-oriented education, limited
communication and poor infrastructures as well as the urgency ofother more pressing priorities which dominate all aspects of lifeon the continent, the African population is, to a large extent,
unaware of its rich culture heritage. The project proposed here
aims at the generation of heritage awareness through the creationof computer based visualisations and Spatial Information Systems
for architectural heritage sites in Africa. Computer models can be
distributed on CDs to educational institutions and used as support
material at all levels of educationiii. solid surface CAD models of the structure
iv. CAD models with ortho-image textures ‘draped’ overthe surfacev.

CAD line models of the structure showing the outline
as well as all visible surface featuresvi. detailed, metrically correct 3-D surface models of
selected facades of structures in the form of a point
cloud of xyz points, contour maps of surfaces andsolid models for the assessment of surface damages(erosion, breakage etc)

2.3 Tourism
The economical importance of tourism for Africa is beyond
question and need not be emphasised here. While cultural sites
are major tourist attractions worldwide, Sub-Saharan Africa is
not known to the broader tourist community for its heritage
sites, and visualisation of structures and landscapes on CDs or
web pages can create awareness of the existence of African
heritage and potentially increase tourism to such places.

vii. 3-D CAD line models of the inside of structures
possibly based on based on conventional survey
techniques, where a photogrammetric survey is toocomplex.
viii. virtual (historical) cityscapes – and landscapes ofbased on ortho-images for historical modelling

It is also well established that tourism provides, throughentrance fees and the sale of site related material and handcraft,the funds necessary for maintenance and possible restoration ofsites.

ix. virtual reconstructions of structuresx.

2.4 Capacity Building
It is intended to make use of local staff wherever possible and touse students for all data processing components of the projects.
This will result in the creation of expertise in digital
photogrammetry, remote sensing, GIS and visualisation.

Spatial Information Systems of the site (SIS/ GIS/
HIS–Heritage Information System)xi. Non-spatial document databases relevant to the site

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4.

DOCUMENTATION OUTPUTS
vii. Meta-database for all site data

In order to achieve the project objectives combinations of thefollowing outputs will be produced for each site. (A site
database will typically not contain all of the products listed
below, as not all the listed categories will be relevant for eachsite and in many cases not all desired data will be available):i.

viii. Virtual Reality models (VRML- Java)· Walk–in capability· Fly-through capability· On screen measurement capability for scientificand architectural analysis· Scenario simulations (varying light, moon, sun,torch light)

2D representations· as-build ground plans of structures· topographic maps of immediate surrounding areas· elevation plans of facades showing building
outlines, windows, doors, ledges etc.
· elevation plans with great detail (individualstones, ornaments, coats of arms, column capitals
etc.)· sections through structures· ortho images or rectified (rubber sheeted) imagesof individual surfaces

ix. Reconstructed 3D model of original structure derived
from remaining ruinsx.

CDs for education and general distribution

xi. Meta-database for all recorded sites

5.
ii.

It is proposed to initiate and partially implement the Heritage
Database through a multidisciplinary and multinational
initiative. The Department of Geomatics at the University ofCape Town (UCT) is suggested as the location for the
database/GIS. Experts in all contributing disciplines are among
the staff of UCT and have expressed an interest to cooperate.

· 3D line drawings/wire frames with limited detail(structure outlines, windows, doors)· 3D line drawings/wire frames with great detail(individual stones, ornaments, coats of arms,
column capitals etc )· 3D models with solid (computer-generated)surfaces· Detailed 3D models (DTM) of selected individual
surfaces to monitor erosion and surface damage· 3D models with grey scale (BW or colour
photography) surfaces generated from ortho
images

The recording and establishment of the database and associatedresearch will be done with the support of and in cooperation
with experts from the Universities of Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam,
Kumasi, Stuttgart, Zurich and Melbourne.
In a first project stage it is planned to photogrammetricallyrecord a variety of selected sites in Sub-Saharan Africa. This
stage has already been initiated. In a second stage, non-spatialarchitectural, archaeological and historical data will be
integrated into the Spatial Information System for each of thesites. Information on all these sites will then be provided
through a meta-database. .

iii. 3D models of surrounding landscape (virtual
historical landscape)Virtual landscape derived from satellite imagery
and/or aerial photography and digital terrain models
iv. Spatial Information System (GIS/CAD and Database)v.

EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT

3D CAD models

It is hoped that eventually enough interest can be generated to
attract funding for a permanent African Centre for Heritage
Recording.

Geographic Information System of the structure/site
and the environment

vi. Database of spatial and non-spatial site specificinformation

6.

ACCESS TO DATA

It is planned to make all generated data freely available on web
sites for general use and, in more detail, for research andconservation projects on CDs, provided those government- or
local authorities with responsibility for the respective sites give
their permission to do so.

The GIS/CAD and the Database will be based on a
generic design which will have to be customised foreach case. The data stored and managed in the
GIS/CAD/Database will consist of information on thefollowing aspects of the structure/site:
2D and 3D structure plans as listed above
Architecture (style, building materials, additions,demolitions and other changes over time)
Conservation related information (damage,erosion, condition reports)
Environment in the proximity of the site
Geology
Vegetation
Excavation reports and diagrams
History
Publications and reports

7.

RESEARCH COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT

Although photogrammetric recording of sites has been practiced
for most of the last century and is well established (examples are
Patias and Peipe (2000) and Visnovcova et al. (2001)), newtechnologies have opened new possibilities which need to be
explored and research in a number of areas of documentation isnecessary. Among the problem areas which require research are:·187

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·
·
·
·
·
·
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Development of surface models for irregular and complex
surfaces (erosion, wall ornaments, complex doors andwindows, column capitals etc)
Integration of amateur and metric photography
Integration of laser scanning and photogrammetry
Use of Synthetic Aperture Radar for surface modeling
Creation of historical landscapes
Database design for heritage recording
Optimal visualisation and visualisation data management
techniques (management of large data sets)
Design of documentation specific software
Models for the optimal choice of detail-resolution (thisseemingly trivial issue, is one of the central problems withrespect to project design, methods, field work, staff andspecifically funding).

covered the footprints with new ash preserving the moment intime over a period of three-and a- half million years. The
Laetoli footprints are widely accepted as the first evidence of
bipedal or upright hominid walk and are thus of principal
relevance in the evolution history of man. In recent years the
trackway has deteriorated through erosion and weathering and
as a result of root and insect invasion.
When the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, made theconservation of the 3.6 million years old trackway, a GCI
conservation project, it was decided to not only conserve thefootprints using the most advanced modern technologies, but toalso fully document the foot print site employing state-of-the-art
documentation methods.
The GCI conserved and documented the trackway incooperation with the Tanzanian Department of Antiquities and
UNESCO. The photogrammetric documentation of the site wasdone by the Photogrammetric Research Unit of the Departmentof Geomatics at the University of Cape Town.

Researchers and postgraduate students in the participating
University Departments will carry out this research.

8.

PLANNED DOCUMENTION SITES

Sites documentations alreadyconsideration for future work are:inprogress*or

The documentation was based on data acquisition in two field
campaigns, 1996/97. A GIS of the proximity of the site wascreated and close range photogrammetric images were captured
with a variety of metric and non-metric cameras. Detailed
surface models of 69 footprints as well as the 40 m longtrackway area were created. The surface models (Figures 1 and
2) for the individual footprints were produced byphotogrammetrically acquiring between 10 000 and 20 000
surface points on each of the imprints. The individual points
were established with standard deviations of better than 0.5
millimeter.

under

1. Rock churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia* WHS)
2. Stele field of Aksum, Ethiopia (WHS)
3. Kilwa Kisiwani & Songo Mnara* (WHS)
4. Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
5. Great Mosque in Djenne, Mali (WHS)
6. Fort Jesus, Mombassa, Kenya

In addition to the photogrammetric data acquisition, data wascollected on the geology of site, the condition of each imprint,
state of erosion, root invasion, insect damage, previous treatment
with preserving chemical and so forth, while any new chemicaltreatment was recorded on field sheets and later entered into the
GIS and the Access database (Figure 3). The surface models were
integrated in the GIS site coverages and linked to an Accessdatabase.

7. Pyramids of Meroe, Sudan
8. Royal Palace of Abome, Benin, (WHS)
9. Old Town, Lamu, Kenya
10. Fortress on Mozambique Island (WHS)
11. Great Zimbabwe (WHS)
12. Forts of Volta, Greater Accra, Ghana (WHS)
13. Ashanti Traditional Buildings, Ghana (WHS)

The Laetoli database has been completed and located at the GCI
in Los Angeles and in the Tanzanian Department of Antiquities.
A small subset of the data and an interactive visualisation can beaccessedthrough
the
UCT
web
page
on
http://foxbat.sur.uct.ac.za/fresearc.htm.

14. Old Town, Pemba, Tanzania
15. Churches on Lake Tana, Ethiopia
The above list is merely a selection of some of the mostimportant sites in Africa, many more deserved documentationand conservation.

9.

COMPLETED AND ONGOING DOCUMENTATIONPROJECTS

As a first project, the documentation of the Laetoli hominid footprint trackway has already been completed successfully (Rüther,
1996, 1998; Taylor, 1997; Rivett, 2000). Two further projects
are in progress, these are the recording of St Gyorgis, one of therock churches in Lalibela in Ethiopia (Rüther et al., 2001) andthe Fortress and Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania.
The Laetoli trackway. The Laetoli trackway, Tanzania,
discovered by Mary Leakey in 1978, was created when a groupof three hominids (Australopithecus Afarensis) crossed a
volcanic ash field deposited by the eruption of one of the many
volcanoes along the African Rift Valley. A subsequent eruption

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Figure 1. Photographic texture draped over the surface modelof one of the Laetoli footprints. (The great detailachieved in the photogrammetric surface
reconstruction is visible in the ‘mud’ ridge on theside of the imprint and a second heal imprint).

Figure 2.

Colour coded surface model created toemphasise the second heal imprint.

Figure 3. Example of Laetoli database form showing a footprint image together with a condition report with access to other site
related information and to active ArcView coverages.

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The Rock Churches of Lalibela. Around 1200AD, King
Lalibela, one of the last kings of the Zagwe dynasty that ruled in
Northern Ethiopia for 200 years, created a number of remarkablerock churches which remain to this day as functional places ofworship. They also constitute symbols of paramount religious,
cultural and architectural significance to the people of Ethiopia.
Of the basically three types of these rock churches, one appears tostand apart in its uniqueness. This is rock-hewn monolithic
church, which while imitating a built-up structure is actually cut
in one piece from the rock and separated from it by an all-aroundtrench. The best known of the monolithic churches is Bet Giorgis(St George’s Church) (Figure 4) in the town of Lalibela, thestructure has dimensions of 12 x 12 x 13m and stands
impressively in a 25m square trench, the church being entered via
a subterranean passage
Bet Giorgis is at present being documented as joint project by the
Geomatics/Photogrammetry departments of the Universities ofCape Town, Melbourne and the ETH Zurich. A low-levelvisualisation technique was employed to create a preliminarymodel by simply ‘rubber sheeting’ images (Figure 5) and a fullmodel produced by a combination of Australis (Fraser and
Edmundson, 2000) and Photomodeller software is close tocompletion. A model of the landscape generated from B& W
aerial photography has also been created. First achievements werereported in Rüther et al. (2001) and Buehrer et al. (2001). Workon this project is ongoing.

Figure 5. Screen capture from preliminary VRML model
created by ‘rubber sheeting’ of imagery.

Figure 4. The monolithic structure of Bet Gyorgis cut out of
volcanic tuff.
Figure 6. Section of Mosque at Kilwa Kisiwani, showing some of
the complexity of the building.
Kilwa Geresa and Mosque. Kilwa Kisiwani, once among theprincipal trading post on the East African coast, was founded in
957 by the Kilwa Sultanate and conquered by the Portuguese in
1597. Its wealth and greatness during the 11 to 16th century is
still reflected in the ruins of the Mosque, the fortress and palatialbuildings on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani itself as well as on theneighboring Songo Mnara Island. Kilwa Kisiwani is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

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represented the Tanzanian Department of Antiquities. The UCTteam comprised of Julian Smit (Smit, 1997) Ulrike Rivett(Rivett, 2000) who assisted with the fieldwork and contributed
to the project as part of their PhD theses. PhD candidate Terry
Richards, guided by the GCI staff, was instrumental in the
database design. Simon Taylor (Taylor, 1997), Ross Rozendal(Rozendal, 2000) and Simon Hull (Hull, 2000) contributed
through project related work done for their respective MSc
thesis.
The Lalibela project is funded through UATI by the UNESCO
Participation Program and the University of Cape Town.
Without the assistance of the Ethiopian Mapping Authority,
ETA, the project would not have been possible. The author, as
project leader, acknowledges the extremely valuable support,
both in the field and during data processing, received from
Armin Gruen, ETH Zurich, and Clive Fraser, University of
Melbourne.

Figure 7. The Fort in Kilwa Kisiwani, also known as Geresa(prison).
The fieldwork for the Kilwa documentation is largely completed
and the photogrammetric reconstruction has been started.

10.

The Kilwa project is funded by the Universities of Cape Town
and Dar-es-Salaam. The project is carried out as part of a PhD
project (Eric Mngumi) under the author’s supervision.
Tanzanian project leader is Gerard Mtalo from UCLAS,
University of Dar es Salaam. Logistic support is provided by theDistrict of Kilwa and UCLAS.

CONCLUSIONSThis project is an initiative to contribute towards thepreservation of African architectural and archaeological
heritage, and the generation of awareness of this heritage in
Africa.

REFERENCES
Buehrer, T., Zhang, L., Gruen, A., Fraser, C. and Rüther, H.,
2001. Photogrammetric reconstruction and 3D visualisation of
Bet Giorgis, a rock hewn church in Ethiopia. Proceedings,
International CIPA Symposium “Surveying and Documentationof Historic Sites”, Potsdam, Germany, September 18 – 21.

In its principal objective, a 3D Heritage Database offers avaluable tool for the planning and management of heritage site
restoration and conservation projects. The contribution of a 3D
database in this area is well established internationally andspatial information systems for such projects have been usedworldwide.

Fraser, C.S. and Edmundson, K.L., 2000. Design and
Implementation of a Computational Processing System for OffLine Digital Close-Range Photogrammetry. ISPRS Journal of
Photogram. & Remote Sensing, 55(2): 94-104.

Knowledge of heritage sites is essential for the creation ofawareness and pride of cultural heritage. The author believes
that visualisation on a personal computer, in which learners at
all levels of education can interact with sites on the computer
screen in the form of virtual walk- and fly-trough’s, cancontribute greatly to the generation of appreciation andunderstanding of African history and heritage.

Hull, S., 2000. SST analysis using AVHRR. MSc thesis, UCT
library.
Patias, P. and Peipe, J., 2000. Photogrammery and CAD/CAM
in culture and industry – an ever changing paradigm. Int.
Archives of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing, Amsterdam,
Vol. 33, Part B5, 599-603.

The creation of the database will also build capacity inphotogrammetry, remote sensing, GIS and computervisualisation in African educational institutions and government
departments.

Rivett, U., 2000. Development of an integrated information
system for archaeological heritage documentation. PhD thesis,
UCT library.

Equally relevant is the potential of photogrammetricvisualisation for the recording of sites for future generations andas a means to attract tourists.

Rozendal, R., 2000. Image processing on the www. MSc thesis.
UCT library.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Rüther, H., 1996. Laetoli Project Report on the 1995 fieldseason. Part IX: Report on Photogrammetric Field Campaign,
University of Cape Town. Getty Conservation Institute, pp. 66105.

All three projects referred to in this paper involve teams
totalling more than 30 individuals and it is unfortunately
impossible to list everybody here.

Rüther, H., 1998. Laetoli Project Report 1996 –1998. Part VII:
Photogrammetric Recording of the Trackway., University ofCape Town. Getty Conservation Institute, pp. 68-103.

Laetoli was a GCI project and funded by this Institute. All
conservation aspects were dealt with by the GCI while theauthor was the project leader for the photogrammetricdocumentation and the database design. Principal researchersand conservators were Neville Agnew, Martha Demas andGaetano Palumbo from the GCI, Donatius Kamamba

Rüther, H., Fraser, C. and Gruen, A., 2001. The recording of
Bet Giorgis, a 12th Century rock-hewn church in Ethiopia.
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Smit, J., 1997. The three dimensional measurement of textured
surfaces using digital photogrammetry. PhD thesis, UCT
library.
Taylor, S., 1997. Event driven software for data comparison andrelocation. MSc thesis, UCT library.
Visnovcova, J., Zhang, L. and Gruen, A., 2001. Generating a
3D model of Bayon Tower with non-metric images.
Proceedings International Workshop on Recreating the Past Visualization and Animation of Cultural Heritage, Ayutthaya,
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Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vol. XXXIV, Part 5/W1
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