The scenario Neil described in his closing paragraph is being actively explored between the RCAHMS and the OS for features within the National Topographic Database and outlined in a paragraph in my paper to the e-conference.  To summarise the current state of research:

It will be possible through OS MasterMap to associate data such as the National Monuments Record of Scotland or scheduled ancient monument information with individual objects in the OS database, provided the holders of the information agree to this.  Data association can be point based, taking the form of identifying a particular object (such as an existing OS antiquity depiction) with the relevant site records.  Through hyperlinks the user could access, for example, the CANMORE interface of our database on the internet and retrieve the site description, bibliographic references and collections details including digital images.  This information could  also include access details, and opening times for publicly accessible sites.  Alternatively off-line contact details could be provided.  
Most archaeological features are not, however, represented by single points or associated with single objects in the OS MasterMap.  Again each object within the OS MasterMap can be associated directly with the relevant record(s) so that the user can retrieve information on-line from any part of the site.  The user need not see the known or approximate extent of the archaeology within a particular polygon, just that there is an archaeological site within that feature.  Alternatively, a polygon, representing the extent of a site, or the scheduled ancient monument boundaries, could be made available as an associated layer although this is not desirable in managing the cultural heritage.  
OS MasterMap represents the future of digital mapping at Basic Scales and it is, essentially, a business-orientated product.   Future products at smaller scales will be derived from the underlying National Topographic Database / Digital National Framework - particularly to service future generations of mobile communications.  Traditional OS products have a long established tradition of depicting heritage information and there is every reason to expect that this will continue into the 21st century.



peter McKeague



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RCAHMS
(The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland)
John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 9NX
Tel: 0131 662 1456
Website: www.rcahms.gov.uk 
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