GLOBAL DIGITAL HERITAGE

What GLOBAL DIGITAL HERITAGE does

Global Digital Heritage (GDH) is a not-for-profit, private research and education organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Gulfport, Florida, that documents, monitors, and preserves global cultural and natural heritage through 3D digitization. Its core offering is professional heritage digitization using photogrammetry and laser scanning, producing high-fidelity 3D models of artifacts, monuments, and archaeological sites, supplemented by its proprietary LidArc LiDAR-based technology for uncovering hidden archaeological features. GDH maintains offices or operating presence in the United States, Italy, Spain, Jordan, and South Africa, and reports operations across 18 countries with 300+ partner sites and museums, including recent large-scale campaigns such as the digitization of 250 archaeological pieces at Valdepeñas Museum in Spain. The organization is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and runs a regional subsidiary, Global Digital Heritage Afrika (GDHA), focused on southern Africa.

GDH distributes all outputs through an open-access model: 3D models, datasets, and dossiers are published freely on gdh.org with no paywall, targeting governments, museums, academic researchers, and the general public. The organization is funded primarily by the Hitz Foundation, with secondary support from institutional partnerships and donations, and it does not sell commercial products or subscriptions. Its commercial counterparties are therefore not customers in a traditional sense but grantors, partner institutions, and beneficiary stakeholders. This structure, combined with a 9-person team, places GDH closer to a mission-driven research organization than a venture-scale technology company.

Name

GLOBAL DIGITAL HERITAGE

Legal name

Global Digital Heritage

Website

https://globaldigitalheritage.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Global Digital Heritage is a Florida-based not-for-profit that uses photogrammetry, laser scanning, and LiDAR to create open-access 3D models of cultural heritage sites, artifacts, and museums across 18 countries for governments, museums, scholars, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Digitization Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJACAC

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Attractions & Landmarks (Observation Decks, Monuments, Scenic Sites)

SECONDARYTHAJADAI

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJACAB

Monuments, Statues & Memorials

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Attractions & Landmarks (Observation Decks, Monuments, Scenic Sites)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage digitization
• 3D photogrammetry services
• Archaeological documentation
• LiDAR archaeology
• Open access heritage database

Headquarters

HQ city

New Port Richey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Global Digital Heritage is a not-for-profit organization that provides professional 3D digitization services for cultural heritage artifacts, monuments, and archaeological sites using photogrammetry, laser scanning, and a proprietary LiDAR technology called LidArc. Its outputs are made freely available to governments, museums, scholars, and the public through an open-access digital heritage platform hosting 3D models, dossiers, and digital data across 18 countries.

Product overview

Global Digital Heritage (GDH) is a not-for-profit organization providing 3D digitization and digital preservation services for global cultural and natural heritage. The core offering consists of professional heritage digitization using photogrammetry and laser scanning, complemented by the LidArc LIDAR-based detection tool for uncovering hidden archaeological sites. All digital data and 3D models are made freely available through an open access platform, supporting democratization of science and public access to cultural heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LidArc: LidArc technology platform used for uncovering hidden heritage sites through advanced scanning and visualization.

Products and services

• 3D Heritage Digitization Services Professional digitization and 3D modeling services for cultural heritage artifacts, sites, and museum collections using photogrammetry and laser scanning, producing detailed 3D models for preservation, research, and public access. Delivered for governments, museums, and research institutions.
• LidArc GDH's LiDAR-based detection technology that uses aerial laser scanning to identify and reveal hidden archaeological features, pre-colonial urban landscapes, and buried sites. Deployed in projects such as the 2025 collaboration with the University of Cape Town and South African Heritage Resources Agency in southern Africa.
• Open Access Digital Heritage Database Open-access repository of 3D models and digital heritage documentation published on gdh.org and made freely available to governments, institutions, museums, scholars, and the public, supporting cultural heritage preservation, research, and education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180 gigabytes of heritage data collected and made freely accessible
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and standard.

• International Council of Museums (ICOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGDH is a member of ICOM, the International Council of Museums, demonstrating commitment to international museum collaboration and heritage preservation standards.
• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGDH holds membership in ICOMOS, the international non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the conservation, protection, use, and presentation of the world's heritage.
• Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La ManchamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement signed in 2020 for the digitization of the Cultural Heritage of Castilla-La Mancha region, Spain. Includes digitization of archaeological pieces, monuments, and sites with the aim of positioning the region at the European forefront in heritage digitization.
• University of SarajevomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for 3D digitization of archaeological artifacts in Sarajevo Canton between 2019-2021.
• Sarajevo MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull collaboration partner in 3D digitization of archaeological collections including artifacts from the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• National Museum of Bosnia and HerzegovinamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partner for digitization of one of the most important archaeological collections in the Balkans. Preserves significant heritage including stećci medieval funerary monuments.
• Association for the Digitization and Informatisation of Cultural Heritage (DIGI.BA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partner in Sarajevo for digital heritage projects including artifact digitization and stećci documentation.
• Global Digital Heritage Afrika (GDHA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary organization operating in southern Africa, specifically Cape Town, South Africa. Partnered with University of Cape Town and South African Heritage Resources Agency on LidArc projects revealing pre-colonial urban landscapes.
• University of Cape Town (UCT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative using LidArc technology to uncover hidden iron-age towns and pre-colonial urban landscapes in southern Africa.
• South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency partner in South Africa for heritage preservation projects using advanced LiDAR technology.
• Ciudad Real MuseumstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum partner in Castilla-La Mancha digitization project, housing collections of medieval pottery including Alarcos ceramic artifacts.
• Valdepeñas MuseumstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum partner housing collections from Cerro de las Cabezas archaeological site, including Iberian ceramics, bronze artifacts, and zoomorphic terracotta.
• Siyâsa Museum of CiezastandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum partner preserving medieval Islamic arches and artifacts from Siyasa archaeological site, one of the best preserved medieval Islamic sites in Europe.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CyArk: Non-profit digital heritage preservation organization using 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry, and LiDAR to create open-access archives of cultural heritage sites worldwide — directly comparable mission, technology stack, and open-data distribution model.
• Zamani Project: African heritage documentation initiative producing high-resolution 3D models of historical sites and monuments across the continent — directly comparable to GDHA's mandate and complementary in geographic coverage.
• Iconem: Heritage digitization firm specializing in photogrammetry and 3D modeling of endangered cultural sites, including work in the Middle East and North Africa — closely comparable in methodology, regional focus, and institutional customer base.

Others

• Leica Geosystems: Provider of laser scanning and geospatial hardware (e.g., Leica BLK, RTC360) commonly deployed in cultural heritage surveys — comparable as an enabling technology vendor in the heritage digitization stack.
• FARO Technologies: Manufacturer of LiDAR scanners and 3D measurement hardware widely used in heritage documentation — comparable as the underlying technology supplier for photogrammetry and laser scanning workflows like those used by GDH.

Broad incumbents

• Historic England: UK public body that funds and curates heritage recording, including digital and 3D documentation of historic sites and monuments — comparable as a heritage digitization commissioner and standards-setter, though primarily national in scope.
• Sketchfab: Large 3D model hosting and viewing platform with substantial heritage and archaeological content uploaded by institutions and individuals — comparable as a distribution channel for cultural 3D models, though broader in use cases.
• Google Arts & Culture: Large-scale digital heritage platform with millions of artifacts and site assets, including 3D models and virtual tours — comparable in open-access distribution to cultural heritage but vastly broader in scope and resources.
• Smithsonian Institution 3D Digitization: Major museum-led open 3D digitization program publishing cultural and scientific models — comparable in mission and open-access philosophy, but anchored in a single large institution rather than a federated global model.

Emerging players

• Vassar College / Archaeological Research Facility (peer digitization programs): Academic and museum digitization programs (e.g., university-affiliated labs) producing 3D heritage models for research and teaching — comparable as smaller, mission-aligned peer digitization efforts, though typically narrower in geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-digital-heritage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GLOBAL DIGITAL HERITAGE