By Brad Segall

ELKINS PARK, Pa. (CBS) — A Montgomery County forensic consulting company is using cutting-edge laser scanning technology to digitally preserve one of the most historic buildings in the Philadelphia area.

DJS Associates is spending three days at Beth Sholom synagogue, inside and out, collecting data which will be used to create a three-dimensional animation model of the building.

The model can be used to restore the landmark to its original state if it starts to deteriorate or if it’s damaged by a natural disaster.

“We set up our laser scanners in various locations, and ultimately we knit those scans together and map photographs on top of them,” says Terry Myers, a senior field investigator for the Abington, Pa. company.

(A laser scanner is set up near the bimah of Beth Sholom, in Elkins Park. Credit: Brad Segall)

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DJS is also partnering with a CyArk, a California nonprofit dedicated to preserving cultural heritage sites around the world.

The 3-D blueprints for Beth Sholom will eventually be online, giving people the ability to take a virtual tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed synagogue.