ArkCities

ArkCities is a digital archiving and urban informatics platform designed to preserve and model the built environment of cities. It combines historical records, architectural data, and live urban datasets to support research, planning, and education.

The project emphasizes openness, interoperability, and collaborative curation. It aims to document not only physical structures but also socio-economic dimensions of urban change, including governance, mobility, land use, and demographics.

Technical approach includes modular data layers for maps, plans, photos, transcripts, and sensor data; supports data formats like CityGML, GeoJSON, and Linked Data; provides an API, a web viewer, and a collaborative editor for annotating and versioning.

Key features include a digital twin of cityscapes, time-enabled visualization showing urban change over time, and provenance tracking for data sources and edits.

Governance and ethics emphasize license clarity, user rights, privacy considerations, and community governance with roles for scholars, archivists, and city stakeholders.

Impact and reception: used in academic courses and planning exercises; critiques note data completeness, long-term sustainability, and funding.

ArkCities continues to evolve through contributions from municipalities, researchers, and citizens.