The ArchTerr Project—A GIS-Based Integrated System for Cultural and Archaeological Heritage Protection (Pilot Phase Tested in Romania)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental-demonstrative research project summarizing three integrated products: an interactive digital map; a reference and record keeping database system; and a set of procedures to enforce the unified application of archaeological heritage protection legislation in Romania. The web-based application constitutes a permanent working tool available to the Romanian Ministry of Culture territorial branch offices, and is freely accessible to specialists and other entities involved in the protection of archaeological heritage, and even to private investors interested in development on land areas having archaeological heritage. The application brings together the organization, systematization, and digitization of all available information about archaeological sites at the national level. This information is otherwise difficult to access because it is structured differently in terms of quantity and quality of data, and stored using different media and formats in several types of non-interconnected institutions. The ArchTerr application significantly reduces the time required to inform, verify, and communicate a decision regarding the presence or absence of archaeological heritage on a particular site. The application ensures the dynamic and automatic real-time bidirectional conversion of geospatial information (Stereo70 and WGS84), and access to unitary and level-structured information, and provides interoperability with other information systems. High-resolution maps allow the non-professional user/investor to access detailed geospatial information about a delimited area, in a timely manner and without the need for field travel, which is a unique feature not found in other European record systems concerning archeological sites. The functionalities of the application developed within the research project, the technical decisions taken, and their implementation method are generally valid. They can be applied in any geographical region because the open source maps used by the technical team cover the world map and the coordinate system used for representation is international. The testing and validation of these functionalities were undertaken using real archaeological data from Romania (data already included in the national heritage representing archaeological sites).

Geovisualization of Historical Geospatial Data: A Web Mapping Application for the 19th-Century Kaupert’s Maps of Attica

“…The development of this database is in line with emerging trends in historical GIS and the spatial humanities, which emphasize the importance of GIS and related technologies for humanities scholarship [24,25]. Other related works that address the implementation and use of GIS-based systems for heritage protection, management [26,27], and tourism [28,29] further demonstrate the versatility and significance of GIS for various fields. Moreover, cultural databases are gaining attention; thus, standards for data collection, organization, and analysis must be improved and widely adopted to address the unique challenges posed by cultural data [30].…”

Analysis of the Evolution Pattern and Regional Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the Perspective of Urban Sustainable Transformation: The Case of Xiamen, China

“…GIS can be used as a vector calculation function to calculate the distribution characteristics of cultural heritage in terms of area and to implement the calculation results more intuitively into the urban geographic space in the form of visualization [10]. In recent years, major applications of GIS in China's cultural heritage protection have encompassed information management, protection platforms [11,12], visualization of archaeological data [13,14], and disaster risk assessment [15][16][17]. In addition, the development of GIS has provided new ideas for the protection of cultural heritage, and the research method involving analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of cultural heritage using GIS technology has become a hotspot that is widely discussed by scholars [18][19][20][21].…”

A quantitative analysis method on the scale, shape and quantity of rockeries in Chinese classical gardens - Taking Wanfang Anhe Rockery in the Old Summer Palace as an example

“…The research contents of cultural heritage digitalization cover digital mapping [1], model reconstruction [2][3], digital archiving and management [4][5], cultural heritage application practice [6][7], cultural heritage protection and analysis [8][9], etc. For example, digital surveying and mapping can be carried out using technologies such as oblique photography, laser scanning and aerial remote sensing; computers or modeling software are used to reconstruct 3D model automatically or manually or in a combination of both [10][11]; digital archiving and management of cultural heritages are carried out with the help of these information management systems based on semantic data such as GIS and BIM [12][13][14]; the application practice of using VR, AR, Unity, UE, etc. to realize immersive interactive experience is performed; as well as based on digital technologies such as 3D scanning, reconstruction and virtual reality, the material detection, structural analysis, natural disaster risk assessment [15][16] and heritage monitoring [17] of cultural heritage are conducted.…”