3D Model of the Kagar Village

As part of ongoing FWF research projects on Buddhist architecture in the Western Himalayas at Graz University of Technology, it was possible to secure significant documentation and materials relating to sacred buildings in Dolpo in Western Nepal in recent years, led by the Institute of Architectural Theory, History of Art and Cultural Studies (akk). Provoked by the outstanding performance of modern surveying technologies, a cooperation was started with our institute (Institute of Engineering Geodesy and Measurement Systems, IGMS) in order enhance existing methodologies of conventional building research by the integration of modern surveying methods, within the frame of an FWF project “Buddhist Architecture in Western Himalayas” (https://archresearch.tugraz.at/).

The aim of this interdisciplinary work was to explore significant Buddhist temple sites in Upper Dolpo, a remote area in Nepal, and to document several sites using modern 3D laser scanning technology. The derived models show a high level of detail and confidence, both from the outside and inside of the temple. Thus, they provide a solid data foundation for studying architectural connections in topologies of different sites and for further building research within the scientific community.

In order to reach a high accuracy level (within a few millimeters), the documentation strategy in the project was based on accurate laser scan data (Leica RTC360). The individual laser scans were pre-registered in the field, and afterwards post-processed in the Leica Register 360 software. The registration was based on cloud-to-cloud registrations (in order to have a high mobility in the measurement setups).

The models are given in local coordinates; however, the Y axis is roughly aligned with grid north of WGS84 (derived by handheld GPS measurements)

This DOI represents the whole dataset gathered at the site in the fieldwork in 2022/2023. An overview of the site (JPG) and a down-sampled 3D model are provided herein for general distribution in order to avoid hidden inventory and provide these data to the committed scientific community. Please contact the authors if the complete data set and/or raw data (point cloud) is required for scientific research.

作为格拉茨理工大学（Graz University of Technology）正在进行的奥地利科学基金（FWF）喜马拉雅西部佛教建筑研究项目的一部分，近年来，在建筑理论、艺术史与文化研究研究所（akk）的主导下，团队成功获取了尼泊尔西部Dolpo地区神圣建筑的大量相关文献与资料。受现代测量技术卓越性能的启发，在FWF项目“Buddhist Architecture in Western Himalayas”（https://archresearch.tugraz.at/）框架内，我方研究所（工程大地测量与测量系统研究所，IGMS）启动了合作，旨在通过整合现代测量方法来完善传统建筑研究的现有方法论。

本跨学科研究的目标是探索尼泊尔偏远地区Upper Dolpo的重要佛教寺庙遗址，并采用现代三维激光扫描技术（3D laser scanning technology）对若干遗址进行记录。生成的模型无论是寺庙外部还是内部，均展现出高度的细节精度与可靠性。因此，这些模型为研究不同遗址拓扑结构中的建筑关联，以及为科研社区内的进一步建筑研究提供了坚实的数据基础。

为达到高精度水平（误差在几毫米以内），项目中的记录策略基于精准的激光扫描数据（Leica RTC360）。单次激光扫描数据在现场预配准后，使用Leica Register 360软件进行后处理。配准过程采用点云对点云配准（cloud-to-cloud registrations），以确保测量设置具有较高的灵活性。

模型采用局部坐标系；不过，其Y轴大致与WGS84坐标系的格网北方向对齐（通过手持GPS测量得出）。

本DOI代表2022/2023年实地考察中在该遗址收集的完整数据集。为避免数据闲置并向相关科研社区提供这些数据，本文提供了遗址概览（JPG格式）和降采样三维模型以供广泛分发。若科研工作需要完整数据集和/或原始数据（点云，point cloud），请联系作者。