The Building Mapping has got four stages:
Mobile Application Form: In order to conduct a visual-based mapping survey through mobile or tablet, a Mobile Application Form using ODK platform is developed through the process of research, trial-error experimentation and pilot project conducted by the researchers of DICRC. The interactive form is designed to record in detail the information about numerous types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Interior Architecture elements like wall, floor, ceiling, roof, door, window, column, bracket, stair, balcony and jharokha, parapets and railings, arches, entablature, etc and Furniture elements like bed, table, storage, chair, sofa, bench, stool, partition, swing, etc. The recorded data reveal information ranging from type and location of element to materials used to the various levels of crafts and expressions involved. The Mobile Application Form can also be easily adapted for survey in different regions of the country, even though they differ in the making and expressions of the various crafts related to Interior Architecture.
Field work and Mapping: It involves travelling extensively through various towns, villages and cities to collect data using the mobile or tablet. The process also includes photographic documentation to aid the interactive Mobile Application Form. The photography ranges from street photographs to detailed views of the interior architecture elements and furniture, along with the various craft techniques. The findings are recorded using the Form, and are immediately uploaded to dedicated server in real time from the field. The process is significant as it involves participation of the local people in gathering the data, and the process being mobile-based makes it user friendly and inexpensive in operation. The simple interface of the Form allows many more users from various fields to get involved and contribute to the data collection, which can be validated by the experts.
Categorization and Inventory management: The Mapping produces comprehensive information, which consists of Images and associated data. This process uses Aggregate facility of the ODK, which helps manage the transferred data and use them in an organised way. Once the mapping data gets transmitted through the Mobile Application Form from the field, it gets delivered on to a dedicated server and is stored there. The ODK Aggregate allows the stored data to be displayed in a tabular form, and creates sections as per questions on the Form. This facilitates the study and analysis of elements and buildings, either within a single category or across various sections at the same time. ODK also enables the researchers to form analytical charts or pie diagrams to understand the mapped data. The dataset can be exported in the form of CSV files for spreadsheets or as KML files for Google Earth or Google Map, to analyse and understand the amount of data generated from the field work. This recordings could be also be transformed to Google Fusion Tables and directly be published on external systems for public viewing.
Dissemination: The final data acts as the foundation for selection of the Traditional or Vernacular Building for detailed documentation which in turn generated Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP). Each image and its reference content are being verified and uploaded on the Interactive Online Map. This data is also used to generate an extensive Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) which will be a comprehensive set of images and associated data about the Interior Architecture and Furniture Elements as well as objects and accessories associated with traditional and vernacular buildings. The TBP, TBEC as well as Map will be part of the Online Interactive Building Lab.Until recently, the inventories conducted for built heritage have been very nominal in nature and completely overlook its magnificence. These Traditional and Vernacular buildings are embedded with empirical knowledge systems, which include an indigenous use of materials and varied craft techniques. This imperative need of identifying and creating a detailed inventory of the prime specimens of these buildings of India gave rise to the Building Mapping project. The main intention is to create a comprehensive visual data bank about the various Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) related to the Traditional and Vernacular Architecture of India. This data will act as a valuable educational data to various students, craftspeople, educators, design professionals, conservationist, and all those related to the field of Art, Craft, Design and Architecture.