Project Tirtha

An Automated Platform to Crowdsource Images and Create 3D Models of Heritage Sites

What is it?

  • Tirtha is an automated web platform developed by Subhankar Mishra Lab, NISER to crowdsource images of heritage sites and create 3D models of them.
  • The goal is to democratize heritage documentation by enabling anyone to contribute, which eases the resource constraints of heritage organizations.
  • It is suited to heritage sites that are not well-documented due to logistical or financial constraints, or are not well-known.
  • It is a web app built using the Django (Python) framework, available in beta at https://smlab.niser.ac.in/project/tirtha/.
  • It is FOSS and the source code is available at https://github.com/smlab-niser/tirtha-public.
Introduction to Project Tirtha

What does it do?

  • Provides an intuitive web interface that enables people to:
    • Upload images of heritage sites crowdsource heritage image data.
    • View & download 3D models of heritage sites and use them in their own (non-commercial) projects participatory digital heritage.
  • Images are licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0, and 3D models are licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0.
  • The database is searchable and cross-referenceable with persistent identifiers useful resource for heritage documentation, education, and especially research.
  • The open-source nature of the project makes it easy for different organizations to deploy and customize for different use cases.
Introduction to Project Tirtha

Usage Instructions (Video Link)

Introduction to Project Tirtha

Usage Instructions (Text)

  1. Visit https://smlab.niser.ac.in/project/tirtha/.
  2. Click Contribute to open the upload form.
  3. Click on the Sign in with Google button to log in.
  4. Select Model - start typing and site names will be filtered.
  5. Drag & drop or select images. Up to 100 can be selected & uploaded at once. Tirtha checks for image EXIF & resolution and compresses images for lower bandwidth usage & upload time, all on the client-side.
  6. You can unselect images by clicking on the image thumbnail.
  7. Check the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy checkbox.
  8. Click on the Upload button & wait for the upload to finish.
Introduction to Project Tirtha

Usage Notes

  • Depending on the total number of images across multiple contributions, it may take a few hours for the model to be generated.
  • For requesting a new site / monument, please use the Request site button beside the Contribute button.
  • Please notify us of any issues on the aforementioned GitHub repo.
Introduction to Project Tirtha