Documenting the Thomas Jefferson Memorial
How CyArk provided a record of the biofilm growth on the monument
Thomas Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin (2018) by Kieran Kesner for CyArkCyArk
In 2018 CyArk joined forces with the National Park Service to document the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC.
Digitally documenting the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (2018) by Kieran Kesner for CyArkCyArk
By taking thousands of images CyArk was able to document every square inch of the monument’s surface.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial aerial image by CyArkCyArk
A dark biofilm (a layer of algae, fungi and bacteria) had grown on the dome so CyArk needed to obtain baseline documents to help them understand how to conserve the structure of the site.
Aerial view of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (2018) by Kieran Kesner for CyArkCyArk
As drones are not allowed in Washington DC, CyArk photographed the site from the National Park Service’s law enforcement helicopter.
Documenting the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (2018) by Kieran Kesner for CyArkCyArk
The site was also laser scanned to make sure the data was accurate and precise.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial 3D modelCyArk
The photographs taken from the air and ground were then put together with the laser scan data to create a high resolution 3D model.
Drawing the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (2018) by CyArkCyArk
The high resolution model was used to produce architectural drawings as the Park Service works to clean the monument.
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