World Heritage Data Management and Visualization Based on WikiGlobe

Abstract

Heritage includes the legacy in the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. There are many introductions about World Heritage on the Internet, especially the official website of United Nations Educational Scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO), which provides the authoritative and comprehensive data of world heritage. It is usually the most popular platform to obtain world heritage information. Combining world heritage with the WikiGlobe (a Digital Earth platform), a scene mode was set from a global perspective with more vivid presentation. This was one of the innovation points of this research. Compared with the traditional 2D display, WikiGlobe has a significant 3D visual effect and various visual tools. Based on WikiGlobe, this research focused on the characteristics of data, organization management and approaches of visualization and realized multi-information navigation and interaction mechanism. In addition, a dynamic mechanism of data maintenance has been established to achieve effective management and visualization of heritage data.