National-Scale Inventory and Management of Heritage Sites And Monuments:Advantages and Challenges of Using Geospatial Technology

Abstract

India is a vibrant and culturally diverse country with more than 3600 heritage sites and monuments of national importance, of which only 36 are recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. These heritage sites and monuments are precious and non-renewable resources which need to be conserved, protected and monitored. Conventional along with emerging geospatial techniques are required to prepare databases and action plans to manage them effectively and efficiently. This article discusses ISRO's efforts in the last decade in the field of archaeology using highresolution remote sensing data in conjunction with GIS, GPS and other geospatial techniques in various applications like inventory and site management plans for a monument/site, cultural resources management plans for World Heritage Sites as well as in exploration archaeology and research for predictive location modelling in the identification of areas with high archaeological potential. Most of the projects have been executed in collaboration with major stakeholders involved in archaeology and in the process have institutionalized the use of geospatial technology to a large extent in operational and research activities.

Identification of Industrial Heritage and a Theoretical Framework for an Industrial Heritage Inventory System in Pakistan

“…A systematic inventory of heritage sites is important as a precursor to the sites' conservation and management [9]. It is important to have a specific inventory system for industrial sites that have heritage value, to manage and preserve them for the future.…”

“…The national inventory system proposed in the province of S [18,19] provided a well-established theoretical basis for the framework p Based on this review, criteria were developed that can be followed to identify and recognize industrial heritage in Pakistan. The international literature was studied to form an understanding of the process of proposing heritage inventories [9,[14][15][16][17]. The Canadian documents that were reviewed were useful in understanding the concept of proposing heritage building inventories and giving protected status to them.…”

“…No specific resource can be utilized to its full potential if it is not well understood. Inventories are crucial to understanding heritage and its future utilization potential [9,15]. The purpose of the proposed inventory is to highlight the industrial heritage of Pakistan so that its potential and value in terms of urban regeneration can be utilized in the future.…”

“…This form also records the ownership details of the buildings as well as the socio-economic data of building owners and users [18]. A review of the heritage documentation and inventory system that is followed in India revealed the importance of mapping the basic physical and functional attributes of buildings and categorizing the important architectural elements of buildings [9,15]. These two inventory systems provided the basis for the proposed "Industrial Site Inventory Form" (Figure 11).…”

GIS-Based and Statistical Approaches in Archaeological Predictive Modelling (NE Romania)

“…This has not been matched by an improvement in the statistical methods applied until recently, when a proliferation of different methods can be seen. Currently, APM represents a powerful tool for preventive archaeology [4], cultural heritage management [5,6] and improving national-scale archaeological inventories [7,8]. APMs have been used successfully in different geographical areas of the globe including Africa [9,10], Europe [1,[11][12][13], Asia [14,15] and America [16][17][18].…”