Deep Mapping Tarn Hows: Automated Generation of 3D Historic Landscapes

Abstract

Changing landscape presents a problem for both conservation and education at heritage sites. We consider the site of Tarn Hows in the English Lake District National Park, a site which has had significant landscape change over the past 200 years, from developing tree coverage, to the merging of three lakes into one. We created an automated process that combines an elevation map and a vegetation map to build a 3D representation of the landscape. We used this tool to create a 3D Deep Map of Tarn Hows, representing the site’s landscape at multiple periods over time, allowing them to be viewed side by side and explored in an interactive environment. This 3D Deep Map provides an exploratory resource for site authorities to educate the public about the historic environment, with embedded multimedia in the application to provide additional information to users that might be disruptive or impractical to display on site. The 3D Deep Map also provides a tool for conservators to plan site maintenance to best maintain the integrity of the historic landscape without negatively impacting visitors’ experience of the iconic site.