October 31, 2022, will mark three years since Shuri Castle was destroyed by fire. Since then, efforts are being made to reconstruct and rebuild this World Heritage Site. Dr. Rei Kawakami, a computer vision expert at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has been spearheading a team of engineers who have developed an online platform to support public engagement with the restoration process. The ground-breaking idea used in this technology is to gather millions of photographic and video images of the castle from people around the world and use them as data to reconstruct a 3-D digital model of the Shuri Castle. During her presentation, Dr. Kawakami will share her experience as the team leader of this exciting project and offer a non-technical overview of the cutting-edge technology used. To facilitate dialogue and exchange, Dr. Kawakami’s presentation will be preceded by an introductory presentation by Dr. Masato Ishida, Director of the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, on the history of Shuri Castle and its meaning as a symbol of Okinawa.

Link to the Flyer: Shuri Castle Event