Digitizing heritage can be a great way to offer access to important aspects of heritage to a much broader audience than just those who are located close to the site or can afford to travel to visit in person. Even with these technological advancements, access will not always be equal. In some cases, the heritage that has been published digitally is inaccessible to the very people it belongs to due to issues involving access to technology, internet, and cost.
3D scanning has been well developed and there are now several programs that are available to use on essentially any computer or even mobile device. An article by Alshawabkeh et al. explains that digital applications of heritage are increasingly necessary due to deterioration of the real artifact or building (Alshawabkeh et al, 2020). The ability to use technology to digitize heritage undoubtedly contributes to preservation, which is one of the main positives to digitization. As historical artifacts deteriorate, it is valuable to have an alternative way to preserve it so that people can see and understand its original condition, even if it is presented digitally. In addition to that, technology encourages more engagement through more widespread access (Alshawabkeh et al, 2020). New technological advancements make it easier for more people to access heritage and are important for spreading information that fuels conversations about so many different cultural histories. Technology offers a platform for contribution from people from any location or background and can even help build online communities centered around heritage. Ultimately, there are many good intentions behind digitizing heritage, from offering new methods that contribute to preservation, to increased accessibility to heritage worldwide.
An article focused on 3D printing in museums by Cooper discusses some of the drawbacks to digitizing heritage. A major issue with digitally scanning and creating replicas of cultural artifacts is that institutions receive a profit from it. In many cases, the culture that the heritage belongs to or represents does not receive any of this profit, which is an ethical issue (Cooper, 2019). The article also brings up the major issue of ownership and copyright, which comes with digitizing a heritage that belongs to a culture not involved in the digital space (Cooper, 2019). Cooper expresses that the majority of digital heritage projects are “high-profile” and “well-funded” but do not provide anything valuable in return to indigenous groups (Cooper, 2019). Ethical issues relating to copyright and ownership, along with imbalances in accessibility, is the main issue with digital heritage applications. Cost is also a significant issue discussed by the article, especially regarding 3D printing. 3D printing has been advertised as a new and innovative technique to help further understanding of heritage by creating replicas, yet it is very expensive in both time and money (Cooper, 2019). Due to the high cost, even 3D printed objects have been protected from people handling them, which goes against the main intention behind creating a replica (Cooper, 2019). Essentially, 3D printing heritage (and other technological innovations) are so expensive that it limits applications and accessibility, which opposes many of the goals of digitizing heritage.
References
Alshawabkeh, Y. et al. (2020) Heritage documentation using laser scanner and photogrammetry. The case study of Qasr Al-Abidit, Jordan, Science Direct. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/science/article/pii/S2212054818300298?via%3Dihub
Cooper C. (2019) You Can Handle It: 3D Printing for Museums. Advances in Archaeological Practice. 2019;7(4):443-447. doi:10.1017/aap.2019