Despite the global recognition of cultural heritage's importance and role in enriching our lives, it is under constant menace. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has identified eight different threats, of which urbanization—manifested through rapid demographic changes and pressures, homogenization, loss of identity and in the worst case, demolition—is seen perhaps as the most significant.

Because these threats are complex and multi-layered, preservation and efficient management of cultural heritage demand robust information. One such information-gathering tool is geo-information technology (GIT), which through its different forms—remote sensing and graphic information systems (GIS), photogrammetry, and laser scanning—has long been used to document, model and monitor cultural heritage as well as disseminate information about it.

Recent examples include the virtual reconstruction of the Qatari city of Al-Zubarah (Ferwati and El Menshawy, 2021) and the creation of a virtual-reality application for the German town of Duisburg of 1566 CE (Tschirschwitz et al, 2019). The rationale behind many of these efforts is to help visualize the sites and so understand their previous form, function, and context, as well as re-establish their lost identity.

The case of Shahjahanabad