A technology-wielding archeologist billed as a real-world “Indiana Jones” on Monday launched an online platform that lets anyone help discover archeological wonders and fight looting.
A “citizen science” platform that space archeologist Sarah Parcak wished for a year ago as part of a coveted TED prize went live at GlobalXplorer.org.
“The world’s hidden heritage contains clues to humankind’s collective resilience and creativity,” Parcak said in a news release. “With GlobalXplorer we are empowering a 21st century army of global explorers to discover and protect our shared history.”
A video of the archeologist unveiling the wish was posted online on Monday at www.ted.com.
GlobalXplorer blends satellite imagery with pattern-hunting of a sort to make a game of spotting clues to the whereabouts of antiquities or looting.
Visitors to the Web site are invited to sign in and take a quick tutorial before virtually hunting relics and thieves.
Spending time scrutinizing satellite imagery lets people “level up” as in video games and earn rewards such as a chance to virtually join archeologists on actual digs.
“Parcak’s wish has put the tools in everyone’s hands to discover and protect humanity’s rich history, effectively opening up a traditionally closed discipline,” TED prize director Anna Verghese said. “Now our stories are safeguarded by millions rather than just a handful.”
Only tiny sections of imagery are shown, along with broad location data such as what country is involved, to avoid being a resource for looters seeking tips of where to search.
DigitalGlobe, which specializes in capturing high-resolution pictures of the Earth from space, said that it provided more than 200,000 square kilometers of satellite imagery of Peru and a customized version of an online crowdsourcing tool.
National Geographic and Sustainable Preservation Initiative (SPI) were listed among collaborators on the project.
Archeologists are to follow up on sites pinpointed by the “crowd,” paving the way for protection from governments or law enforcement agencies.
“As soon as they see new or destroyed sites from space, we will be there on the ground to investigate and protect them,” SPI founder Larry Coben said.
Parcak envisions a 21st century army of citizen scientists discovering and defending relics. She has condemned destruction of antiquities by the likes of extremists from the Islamic State group and saw looting done by the desperately poor as “heartbreaking.”
The TED Prize provides US$1 million to launch a big vision and opens a door to call on the nonprofit organization’s innovative, influential and ingenious community of “tedsters” for help.
The TED community includes scientists, celebrities, politicians, artists and entrepreneurs.
Parcak is a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she founded the Laboratory for Global Observation.
She has won attention for her work satellite mapping Egypt and uncovering hidden pyramids, tombs and settlements.
The annual TED Prize has grown from US$100,000 to US$1 million since it was first awarded in 2005 to U2 band leader Bono and his vision of fighting poverty and disease.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was