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Articles | Volume XLVIII-M-9-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-M-9-2025-1365-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-M-9-2025-1365-2025
03 Oct 2025
 | 03 Oct 2025

Capturing the Floating World: Digital Documentation of a Kelong in Singapore

Gerald K.S. Sim and Muhammad Syahid Mustapa

Keywords: Maritime Heritage, Digital Heritage, 3D Scanning, H-BIM, Photogrammetry, Immersive Media

Abstract. This paper presents the digital documentation of Kelong E63, one of Singapore’s last remaining kelongs, or offshore fishing platform. As a dynamic, vernacular structure, the kelong was documented using a hybrid methodology combining LiDAR, photogrammetry, sonar, 360° video, and other spatial media, incorporating knowledge gained from traditional fieldwork. Technical and environmental challenges such as tidal shifts and structural instability required an adaptive, multi-phase approach to digital documentation. Beyond structural accuracy, the project aimed to capture the intangible rhythms of kelong life. Adopting a transmedia perspective, the project integrated spatial datasets with oral histories, archives, and media, allowing user-driven exploration of the site. This work-in-progress demonstrates how immersive digital tools can preserve not just the technical form, but the lived experience and “aura” of maritime heritage.

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