Case Study: CyArk achieves 3D preservation and public access of Atlantic Slave Trade sites with Trimble

Documenting the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Using 3D Technologies

Trimble partnered with nonprofit CyArk in 2014 to digitally preserve 10 cultural heritage sites associated with the Trans‑Atlantic slave trade. The project tackled the challenge of documenting fragile, historically significant locations across western Africa and the Americas—including Natchez National Historical Park, the Annaberg Sugar Plantation and Cidade Velha—to safeguard slave quarters, estates and landscape context and to make them accessible for education and conservation.

Using Trimble TX8/TX5 3D laser scanners, the V10 imaging rover, UX5 aerial photogrammetry and GIS surveys (with field support from Navigation Electronics, Inc.), teams captured high‑resolution point clouds, panoramic imagery, orthorectified maps and SketchUp 3D models in short field campaigns. The results—virtual tours, online 3D models and downloadable datasets hosted via CyArk—give the public, researchers and educators free access to immersive site documentation, support preservation planning and increase visibility and interpretation of these important sites.

CyArk