article_snippet.sent: Since then, Ben Kacyra has been doing exactly that: in a 2011 TED talk Ben Kacyra explained Ben Kacyra quest to preserve our "collective treasure", and Ben Kacyra has a plan to scan 500 World Heritage sites in five years.
article_snippet.sent: So far, the list of completed scans includes Ancient Thebes, Chichen Itza, Fort Laramie, Mesa Verde, Mount Rushmore, Petra, Pompeii, Rapa Nui, the Sydney Opera House, Tikal, and Ben Kacyra native Mosul.
article_snippet.sent: The idea is not just to protect endangered structures, but to offer free educational access to the digital recreations of important monuments via the web.
highlights_snippet.sent: plans to preserve 500 World Heritage sites within five years .