Tuning and Effectiveness in Heritage Models

Abstract

Modelling can explore heritage responses to environmental pressures over wide spatial and temporal scales, testing both theory and process. However, compared to other fields, modelling approaches are not yet as common in heritage management. Some heritage models have become well known, though they struggle to have an impact beyond academia, with limited practical applications. Successful models appear to be adaptable to multiple sites or objects, intuitive to use, run using widely available software and produce output translatable into practical actions. Model tuning is also vital for the model to be effective. A specific purpose should be determined from the outset to enable tuning in the earliest design stages. Heritage models can be developed to explore theories or processes that affect or interact with heritage. Input should also be tuned to relevant temporal and spatial scales and consider duration and location. Additionally, it is important to account for materials and elements specific to heritage. Models need to be useful and usable if they are to be effective. User-friendly programs and interfaces help practical use. However, success can create problems, as input and output could become socially or commercially sensitive. The wider use of models may require broader discussion among heritage professionals and the provision of training.

Query Model Framework Design for Conservation History and Endowments Database: A Case Study on the Digitization of the Sumedang Larang Kingdom’s History and Endowments in Indonesia

“…By furnishing such content to the public, they addressed the inherent necessity for reestablishing connections and deriving significance from the bygone eras, consequently illuminating the relevance of history in the contemporary world. The wider use of models may require broader discussion among heritage professionals and the provision of training [57]. The framework was built with policies for users, administrators, and managers.…”

Climate Change and Pilgrimage to Shrines in Ethiopia

“…In many fields, such as climate and environmental sciences, climate models provide a useful tool for assessing future scenarios. Climate models are likely to provide (i) lengthy datasets without gaps that can frequently occur in manual observational records [42], and can provide (ii) raw climate data that can be used to construct parameters that relate to heritage impacts [5].…”

“…Slow and cumulative damage can arise from changing humidity and freeze-thaw cycles, while deterioration can accrue from exposure to solar radiation or air pollution [3]. The effect of changing weather and climate on our material heritage has been well recognised for several decades, along with the importance of tuning climate parameters, so they are relevant to heritage [4,5]. Despite a wealth of research output, it is only recently that the IPCC has incorporated heritage.…”

“…Furthermore, Harrison [15] has analysed the impacts of climate change on indigenous music, arguing that even though the issue may be recognized, it is "often without material references or inclinations [p. 28]". The breadth of climate impacts of society are likely to make it difficult to represent the effects of individual meteorological parameters on intangible heritage; in fact, this subtlety can even complicate representing climate effects on tangible heritage [4,5].…”