Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants: Thai Digital Monastery Project

FAIN: HD-50024-07

Regents of the University of California, Riverside (Riverside, CA 92521-0001)
Justin McDaniel (Project Director: November 2006 to November 2008)

Two planning conferences, one in Riverside, California, the other in Bangkok, Thailand, to lay the foundations for the interactive mapping of Asian Buddhist monastic centers in Thailand and the creation of a digital resource using state of the arts tools.

The Thai Digital Monastery Project seeks to begin creating a digital interactive virtual library for enthusiasts, students, and scholars interested in exploring a selection of the over 30,000 monasteries in Thailand. Working closely with the Thai royal family, monastic ecclesia, and Mahamakut University the PI, Justin McDaniel and his collaborators will explore the application of new open-source technologies to create an integrated digital research environment in which participants can walk through three dimensional and 360 degree immersive spaces. In order to build this digital environment that will serve a wide range of learning communities, a one year in depth feasibility initiative is needed which will test technology in the field, recruit a talented long-term staff, and design a electronic platform for a planned multi-year project.