The Mowbray Cemetery is taking a giant step towards the future and is currently undergoing surveying for geo-tagging.
The Muslim Cemetery Board, which operates the cemetery, is in the process of geo-tagging all the graves in a bid to make it easier for undertakers to know which spaces are available for burial, and for people to easily locate the grave sites of loved ones.
Nearly 2 000 graves have been geo-tagged over the past eight months.
The project is being undertaken by Parker Surveys, and also entails identifying heritage sites and mapping pathways.
After the process is complete, a public participation process will be launched to help identify unknown and damaged graves.
According to the chairman of the board, Faizal Sayed, the cemetery has undergone numerous upgrades over the past two years, reports IOL.
This includes raising the boundary walls, installing surveillance cameras, new pathways, the construction of a ghusl (ablution) facility, prayer facilities, employment of security guards, upgrade of the kramat (shrine), and an overhaul of its offices and administration blocks.
“The geo-tagging of graves appears to be central in taking the cemetery forward into the digital era to preserve our heritage and culture,” Sayed said.
Once the project is finished, the cemetery will be able to be viewed in a geographical information system format, where 3D imagery of Mowbray Cemetery will be presented.
Cassiem Parker from Parker Surveys said the aim was for the public to visit the cemetery, type in the details of a deceased and software will be able to lead you to the location of a grave.
Cemetery board member Ayub Mohamed said: “Most cemeteries are inundated with inquiries related to the location of graves and Mowbray Cemetery is a large cemetery.
“Giving people geo-spatial information in finding locations is a big step into the future.”