Modelling of the Valley of Flowers National Park, a World Heritage Site, by Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

The Valley of Flowers National Park (VOFNP) in the Himalayas in India is a World Heritage Site (WHS) inscribed by UNESCO. It is a natural heritage having significant populations of Himalayan flora and fauna with global conservation significance. The WHS is under threat from religious tourism and population pressure. A methodology has been developed to create 3D models of VOFNP. The models can act as an effective medium of communication among the stakeholders and aid in conservation management. The DEM data of VOFNP in ASCII file format is converted into 3D STL file format. Singularities in the data are removed. Walls and a base are made to obtain the 3D STL file. A scaled-down model of VOFNP was made in Ultimaker 2 Extension+, an FDM-based additive manufacturing (AM) machine. The model adds very high value for long-term monitoring of the WHS. © University of Toronto Press.