Preserving the past with cutting-edge tech

Advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and drones are helping preserve and protect historical landmarks, including the Great Wall of China.

By WP BrandStudio

The Great Wall of China is an enduring testament to ancient ingenuity and human innovation. But centuries of weathering the elements—not to mention neglect—has left many parts of the Great Wall crumbling. According to some estimates, roughly a third of the structure has already disappeared, while the segments that do remain are in various states of disrepair. Preservation of the wall, especially sections that sit in remote, tough-to-reach areas, won’t be easy.

With a big assist from innovative, digitally powered technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and drones, experts in the challenging business of protecting historic landmarks now have fresh tools to help solve age-old problems. And that means architectural marvels like the Great Wall can be preserved more efficiently and effectively than ever before.

Earlier this year, the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation and Intel launched a partnership to protect and restore the wild Jiankou section of the Great Wall using today’s cutting-edge technology. Experts from Wuhan University’s Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS) are also involved in the project.

Located approximately 40 miles north of Beijing’s busy city center, the Jiankou section of the Great Wall is considered to have the most breathtaking views. Built over steep inclines across mountainous terrain and covered in thick vegetation, it’s also the most treacherous stretch—which makes it one of the hardest areas to access. As a result, the 12-mile tract hasn’t been maintained for hundreds of years—until now.

“Today, the wall is in a very dangerous situation,” says Xianfeng Huang, a Wuhan University LIESMARS professor who’s taking part in the conservation project. “If we don’t take action, its status will only become worse in the future.”

Traditionally, surveys have been conducted manually, using a tape measure or by visual inspection. It’s a long, arduous process that can take several months. But the rugged landscape of the Jiankou section makes it particularly hazardous for inspection teams to navigate, let alone collect accurate information. That’s where drones and deep learning AI technology come in.

Because the Jiankou section covers such a large expanse, the team has been using the commercial-grade Intel® Falcon™ 8+ drone to conduct aerial surveys. As the unmanned aircraft soar through the air, they collect thousands of detailed, high-resolution images, reducing the time it would normally take to conduct such a survey to mere days.

Powered by Intel® Xeon® processors, the images are stitched together to generate a precise, 3D model of the wall’s current state. An AI algorithm is then run on the digital replica to detect cracks, deficiencies and other structural flaws. It measures the length and width of the damage and determines the time, labor and cost of materials needed for repair. It can even go so far as to calculate the exact number of bricks necessary for a complete preservation.

“Combining Intel drone technology and AI opens up new more efficient, solutions that weren’t there before,” says Kevin Pomaski, drone operations lead at Intel. “With this accurate data­­­ in hand, the foundation can more quickly understand the current state of the wall and produce more efficient repair schedules to restore this section of the Great Wall.”

Bridging yesterday and tomorrow

Millions of travelers from around the globe descend on the Great Wall every year. The imposing structure traverses more than 12,000 miles, stretching across 15 provinces and cutting through some 400 counties in China. As the longest manmade structure on earth, it’s no surprise that the wall was voted one of the “new Seven Wonders of the World.”

Of course, the monument itself is hardly new. Parts of the ancient fortress date back to the 3^rd century B.C., while the latest sections were built in the mid-1600s, during the Ming dynasty. Back then, the fortifications served to defend against invasions, and later, helped regulate immigration and trade at the historic northern border. Today, the Great Wall is a symbol of China’s unity and the strength of its people. Every brick tells a story.

None of the significance is lost on Ke Hou, a volunteer with the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation. She’s made it a personal mission to help preserve this national treasure.

“The first time I climbed the Great Wall, it gave me a feeling of responsibility,” Hou recalls. “I want the younger generation to be able to experience the Great Wall like I do.”

Connecting to culture

The Intel collaboration marks the first time data-driven AI technology has been used to properly preserve sections of the Great Wall, and it likely won’t be the last. By comparison, a “repair” job in 2014 saw local officials in China’s northeastern Liaoning province pave over a 700-year-old stretch of the Xiaohekou section of the Great Wall with a mix of cement, sand and lime. The questionable work sparked global outrage on social media, and many fumed that the act virtually obliterated that portion of the wall’s history.

That provides all the more reason to leverage innovative solutions, such as AI, to protect important sites like the Great Wall, which hold the key to so much of China’s culture and heritage. And being able to safely access, collect and process next-level data can empower humanity to safeguard the achievements of the past for future generations.

“It’s our hope that this preservation will connect modern people with the wall,” says Hou of her work with the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation. “It’s not just a structure. It contains so much diversity in culture.”

She can rest assured. The project has already inspired at least one young person. Jianshun Wang, who studies 3D modeling at Wuhan University and is part of the team working to preserve the Jiankou section of the wall, visited the wall for the first time as part of the project.

“After I climbed the Great Wall, it was no longer a name in a book, or a picture in my memory. I’ve seen it,” says Wang. “I want to use the technology I learned to protect it and allow it to last a lot longer.”

With sophisticated tools powered by Intel, there’s a good chance the Great Wall will continue to last for centuries to come.