Abstract
Abstract. This paper discusses the application of Information Management Systems (IMS) for documenting and monitoring World Heritage (WH) properties. The application of IMS in WH can support all stakeholders involved in conservation, and management of cultural heritage by more easily inventorying, mining and exchanging information from multiple sources based on international standards. Moreover, IMS could assist in detecting damages and preparing management strategies to mitigate risks, and slowing down the deterioration of the integrity of WH properties. The case study of the Silk Roads Cultural Heritage Resource Information System (CHRIS), a Belgian Federal Science Policy Office funded project, illustrates the capabilities of IMS in the context of the nomination of the Central Asian Silk Roads on the WH List. This multi-lingual, web-based IMS will act as a collaborative platform allowing for the completion of improved transnational nomination dossiers and subsequent monitoring activities with all necessary baseline information to easily verify consistency and quality of the proposal. The Silk Roads CHRIS Geospatial Content Management System uses open source technologies and allows to georeference data from different scales and sources including data from field recording methods and combine it with historical and heritage features documented through various means such as textual descriptions, documents, photographs, 3D models or videos. Moreover, tailored maps can also be generated by overlaying a selection of available layers and then be exported to support the nomination dossier. Finally, by using this innovative information and decision support system, the State Parties and other interested stakeholders will have access to a complete nomination dossier and could therefore respond more effectively to hazards and disaster phenomena.
Highlights
In the context of an increase in World Heritage (WH) nominations and wide-spread risks to cultural heritage, the application of Information Management Systems (IMS) provide a solution to assist State Parties, site managers and other stakeholders involved in conservation, management, and monitoring of cultural heritage by more inventorying, mining, sharing and exchanging information from multiple sources based on international standards
In response to this need, since 2010, the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) is funding together with the support of the WHC, and in collaboration with the State Parties involved in the nomination, a three-year project: the Silk Roads Cultural Heritage Resource Information System (CHRIS)
Google Maps operates with the Mercator projection system, which implies that all datasets with WGS84 coordinates must be reprojected, a task done by GeoServer
Summary
In the context of an increase in World Heritage (WH) nominations and wide-spread risks to cultural heritage, the application of Information Management Systems (IMS) provide a solution to assist State Parties, site managers and other stakeholders involved in conservation, management, and monitoring of cultural heritage by more inventorying, mining, sharing and exchanging information from multiple sources based on international standards. One exception is the example of Kazakhstan where passport forms are digital and improved according to international standards, and the recording methodology of heritage sites could be used as a best practice in other parts of the region In response to this need, since 2010, the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) is funding together with the support of the WHC, and in collaboration with the State Parties involved in the nomination, a three-year project: the Silk Roads Cultural Heritage Resource Information System (CHRIS). It aims to assist the documentation and preparation of the serial transnational Silk Roads WH nominations as well as their later management and monitoring with the development and implementation of a Geospatial Content Management System (GeoCMS)
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