World Heritage sites about to go digital

Scotland - A team of British scientists is preparing to create a digital model of Mount Rushmore using laser scanning so that the iconic U.S. monument can be recreated were it to be damaged.

The survey work is part of a project to accurately record the exact dimensions of 500 of the most famous World Heritage sites, including the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Wall of China.

The joint team, from the Glasgow School of Art and Historic Scotland, are currently surveying 10 World Heritage sites in Britain before they aim their laser beams at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.