Panaji, Goa: More than 300 churches, chapels and other famous places of worship in Goa will be digitized using the latest future-proof technology for posterity.

The digitization process of centuries-old churches in Goa, using 4D holographic recording equipment and 3D videography technology has already begun. It is a non-invasive technique and does not need to disrupt the routine functioning of the religious venue, say the technocrats connected to the project.

In fact, most people will not even realize that the recording process is going on. Religious ceremonies, festivals and activity is also being digitised.

The project aims to digitally save the churches and chapels as they are today in a 4 dimensional model using Virtual Reality and other 4D tech, a spokesperson for Goemcho Goenkar said.

Goemcho Goenkar is a private initiative by a group of citizens titled Project Goemcho Goenkar is undertaking 3D videography and 4D cinematographic digitization of all Goan villages, beaches and other State landmarks in the coastal international tourist destination.

This project is the first of its kind in India, wherein natural touristic landmarks are being digitized, using 4D cinematographic tech, besides the more common 3D videography or VR (virtual reality) technology.

While the most important landmarks and tourist destinations, including the 300 plus churches, chapels and other religious places will be digitized in 4D, since we are short on budgets, with no corporate sponsorship available in Goa due to the lockdown, the entire state will be otherwise digitalized using normal videography.

As we are able to rope in more funds, we will continue the 4D digitalization process of the entire state, said a spokesperson for Goemcho Goenkar.

There are nearly 40 churches in Goa which are a major tourist attraction and draw huge crowds during the peak tourist season. Similarly, temples in Ponda and other hinterland areas of Goa are also a big draw with tourists.

Cutting edge graphics, animation, virtual tech, 3D videography and 4D cinematography technologies – for the first time in India, as part of Project Goemcho Goenkar, will be used to digitalize the State of Goa, its natural beauty, beaches, rivers, lakes, village roads, traditional festivals and everything that makes Goa so unique.

Project Goemcho Goenkar is an attempt to permanently archive in 4D, the Goa (food, culture, tradition, music, religious gatherings, festivals, old roads, bridges, wells, lakes, clothing, people, villages, everything about our existence) of today and generations gone by, for the future in a hi-tech digital format that can be retrieved on demand and viewed, or rather experienced later on, maybe decades later as our great-grandchildren do a school project on Baga Beach as it looked like in the 1970s.

Project Goemcho Goenkar will feature hundreds, if not thousands of videos and millions of photographs of every part of Goa, coastal regions and interior villages alike, and interviews with prominent personalities, cultural and youth icons in this mammoth digital archive.

Each constituency, village and cultural zone will be covered in depth and individually, so if you want to know how your forefathers cooked food in Panchwadi, Shiroda 50 years ago with images, or how Goan youth played football in Navelim, or how artisans made the traditional kunbi fabric in the tribal villages of Goa, Goemcho Goenkar will have that for you.

What is a 4D film or 4D virtual walkthrough?
A 4D film or 4D virtual walkthrough is a technical term for an entertainment presentation system combining a 3D film with physical effects that occur in the theatre in synchronization with the film.

Effects simulated in a 4D film may include rain, mist, bubbles, fog or smoke, wind, temperature changes, strobe lights, scent, vibration and motion.