An expedition of technologists, documentarians, and sherpas ascended the Lukla Trail to the Mt. Everest Base camp. Representing Airlift Technology and Esaiyo Inc – the crew documented, 3D mapped, and indexed famous and historic places, and the trails of the Everest Region.
Airlift Technology and Esaiyo are currently documenting, mapping, and indexing famous, historic, and culturally relevant objects, people, places, and trails of the Everest Region. The journey began with a trek to Everest Base Camp and extended to the historic Tengboche Monastery and Namche Bazar. This unique expedition will provide the media and metadata to power the creation of trekking tools, maps, and software applications that will help people from across the world better understand the people, culture, and historical objects of the Khumbu region and Everest itself.
This visionary partnership is leveraging leading-edge drone technology to create a full 3D rendering and Esaiyo’s SIO technology to provide a rich data layer of media and metadata of the people, locations, and stories from the region.
The team is currently processing the raw content and expects to have the content available for distribution by July 1st. Beyond this expedition, the team has plans to do similar projects at culturally significant sites around the world.
According to Esaiyo CEO Raymond St. Martin, “It is an honor to work so closely with the people of Nepal. We are hopeful that this significant undertaking will allow the world to experience the majesty of Mt. Everest in new ways while also learning about the histories and stories of the people and places while preserving and connecting the culture of the region.”
According to Raj Bikram Maharjan, CEO of Airlift Technology, “The core value of Airlift Technology is to use drones and subsequent technologies to uplift the lives of people. Airlift Technologies is the leading drone technology company in Nepal and we are using our mounted cameras to create 3D maps and images of historic places and major architectural buildings. This project is allowing us to capture famous places along the path of Everest and provide the first ever 360 trail view from Lukla to Base Camp. Our partnership with Esaiyo has strengthened our services and the commitment towards disruptive technology. Along with the historic documentation, our service has reduced the risk Sherpas encounter in their jobs while saving lives of climbers at the world’s highest peak.”
According to Airlift Co-Founder Milan Pandey, “This journey up Everest is going to allow us to provide guides to trails that don’t currently exist, and this will help many climbers who get lost on Everest and the rescue teams that have difficulty finding them in storms. On this trip, even our team–the mappers–got lost for a bit.”
About the Khumbu Region
The Khumbu region, situated in northeastern Nepal, is a stunning mountainous area renowned as the gateway to Mount Everest. It’s part of Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and serves as the homeland of the Sherpa people, who are celebrated for their mountaineering prowess and Buddhist traditions.
About Tengboche
Tengboche is a village in Nepal’s Khumbu region, renowned for its monastery and breathtaking views of the Himalayas, including Mount Everest. The monastery, perched at an elevation of approximately 3,867 meters (12,687 feet), serves as a key spiritual center for the Sherpa people and is a popular stop for trekkers heading to Everest Base Camp. It was founded in 1916 by Lama Gulu and hosts the annual Mani Rimdu festival, featuring traditional dances and ceremonies.
About Esaiyo
Esaiyo’s object platform combines blockchain and graph technology to create SIOs–unique digital ids and context– that identify, track, trace and connect digital and physical assets across any platform. SIO interfaces display 360 degree object stories as individuals or in relationships with other objects.
About Airlift
Airlift is a leader in unmanned aerial vehicle services at the forefront of technology disruption and development in South Asia. Airlift has been creating virtual maps and 3D renderings of various South Asian cultural heritage sites for a number of years. Recently, Airlift has tested a heavy lift drone for the first time in the world at the Everest Base Camp to tackle the waste challenge and deliver supplies at the world’s highest peaks.
More images and videos are available upon request.
For interviews, please contact: Kwasi@Esaiyo.com