Digital Photogrammetry Course Applied to Cultural Heritage in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean: Drone Piloting and Recording

The Regional Institute of World Heritage in Zacatecas has established and promoted, since 2024, a Capacity Building Program for the Use of Digital Technologies Applied to World Heritage in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Within this program, four courses have been conducted to date, reaching nearly 100 people trained in the 3D digitization of real estate using photogrammetry.

This has allowed for the development of specialized technical teams at 19 World Heritage Sites in seven countries of the subregion (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Mexico).

However, this type of land-based recording has limitations when it comes to documenting heritage elements, as the conditions for comprehensive recording are not always available. The way to solve this situation is through aerial photography, so unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) become an ideal complement to photogrammetry documentation, enabling the digitization of entire polygons of World Heritage sites.