kurtcms.org

Thinking. Writing. Philosophising.

Email Github LinkedIn

Protect Our History

Posted on February 3, 2017 — 1 Minute Read

There is no shortage of news these days on how machine learning is improving our daily lives, from helping identify skin cancer to bringing us a retail store with no line or checkout. Then comes GlobalXplorer, a platform created by Dr. Sarah Parcak, a National Geographic Society Archaeology Fellow and a Space Archaeologist, that allows people like me and you to help identify and protect possible hidden archaeological sites, by looking for sign of looting in high-res satellite images. If machine vision can help look for unusual spot on your skin and take note of what you grab from the fridge, certainly it can help identify sign of looting. What it will not do is to gather 18,000+ people in only 4 days, to collectively combat thief of our history and to protect our shared human story.

Winning a TED prize in 2016 certainly helped raise awareness. But nothing gathers people together faster by giving them a sense of purpose and to allow them to be bigger than themselves.