Heritage Information: Inventories

- Personal considerations concerning the four thematic issues: A number of critical issues has been identified in the background paper, it is important to clarify a number of statement presented there that can turn the discussion away from the real and factual challenges of the role of inventories in the protection of cultural heritage. • Fundamental information, this is not an adequate terminology for inventories, the issue is the identification of the level of detail required to make decisions about cultural heritage, it is important to define the workflow in protecting heritage, how it is performed and what kind and extend of information is needed. • Cultural and natural are divided, this is not the case in the world, it is more important to introduce the concept of cultural landscapes, which have been extensively developed by international organizations, an extensive ‘state-of-arts’ is required here. • Collect data in a global, durable, homogeneous documentation, this is a huge misunderstanding, first it is important to replace data by information, secondly there is no global and homogeneous in cultural heritage, it is rather reliable, sustainable, cost-effective, and certainly to ensure the longetivity of the media where the information is store. Making accessible, it is important to review nowadays of internet 2 applications. • Under present trends: o Present experience and age limit to be called heritage: this is completely ambiguous to the different realities, heritage is not only an experience, it is a necessity. o Concept of precaution, preventive actions in the field of conservation: this is extensively research and relevant experiences are out there and being applied around the globe, this is not a new concept or deviation of the traditional practice of the Venice charter, it is a reality; • Under new tools: o This is an understatement, the use of databases, internet, photogrammetry, etc is not new, nowadays, evry single country in Europe makes use of this, the problem those not lay of the technology but on the good use of it. However the gap between information providers and users is getting even bigger now with the collection of data being more automatic, extensive. o Also the exploitation of google maps, earth, etc where people identified heritage sites is increasing a lot, the discussion should focus on how to adapt our selves to this new trend in the internet and built environment design technology, and to professionazed heritage actors in this. • Production o Please do not mention a global methodology, this is not possible, the nature of heritage is diverse and one should respect this fact, it is important to prepare guidelines and conventions, also competences in heritage information, especially in ventories, please look at guidelines prepared by the Getty Conservation Insitute’s ourput on the RecorDIM initiative: (http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/pdf_publications/recordim.html) and the English Heritage guidelines at : http://www.helm.org.uk/server/show/nav.19702 o Knowledge, it will be preferably to talk about level of detail that leads to decisions; o Validation: who validates? o Perhaps it is better to assess heritage from the the potential threats to their significance and integrity, this provides the type of information required; • Processing and communications: o The matter is not choosing a simple, is making a good feasibility study and chose the best fitted information strategy; o Level of information needs to be define; o Use of digital tools is a requirement, but the issue of provenance and longetivity of information is an issue; • Users and uses: o Identification of competences is a requirement for definition of uses o Practices also need to be defined o Decision making process; ----- - National priorities identified in the field of Cultural Heritage: - The priority target should be defined by a group of information usres and providers, as well as, the government and the academics, this should be done by the defition of comptences and the current legal status; - Background research and feasibility studies should set an example; - Use of instruments, such as the World Heritage Convention should be put in place, this is perhaps the most effective instrument nowadays at the international level; - major economic and social issues in the management of the Heritage: this is always an issue, but rather than a challenge it is a reality, cost-effective inventories will help people manage their heritage better - Actors involved in the Conservation policy - Government services and agencies, universities, what about NGO’s - partnership conditions - Short history of the inventories in the country, experimentations and regular services - Organisation and financing of the inventories according to the different services (museums, monuments, archaeology, ethnography, natural sites…) - Users of the inventoriesstatus: accepte