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Dear Niall, The HEIRNET consortium has already begun to think about what might be involved in creating a virtual historic environment information network. The HEIRNET report looked at the potential contributors to such a network (the NMRs, SMRs, ADS, Nationally funded projects, special interest societies, local societies) from across the UK. Developments in IT mean that it is feasible to bring together all of their various databases, catalogues and indexes to create a historic environment information landscape reaching into Europe and beyond. We know that the technology works. The ADS has been working with members of the HEIRNET consortium on two projects recently. The first, the HEIRNET register is creating a metadata catalogue that will provide an index to the content, status and accessibility of the HEIRs that make up the landscape. The second, is the development of HEIRPORT a z39.50 web-portal. The ADS catalogue, the NMR for Scotland and the Portable Antiquities database are already being joined up in HEIRPORT by virtue of their compliance with MIDAS and using Dublin Core metadata and the z39.50 communications protocol. Technology can make it work but people make it happen! It is important to realise that HEIRPORT allows for distributed databases to be searched simultaneously. This allows organisations to develop their own databases to support their operational functions - development control, conservation, management, research - while enabling others to access and use their resources. People increasingly do have access to the Internet and we know that they are making use of existing resources. The ADS catalogue has in excess of 1,000,000 hits each year. The CBA information pages, geared to a general interest audience, has far in excess of this number of hits. We can confidently say that historic environment information resources made available on the Internet will be used and that use will be increased by participating in a joined-up service like HEIRPORT. Joining HEIRPORT does not imply giving up management of your own database but will improve your access to the live content of databases managed by others. As more organisations join HEIRPORT, instead of waiting for data exchange, you will be able to search your own database alongside others and view the latest information on your desk-top. By sharing information, each organisation should be able to make the most of its limited resources for the task in hand. I would like to invite any SMR who was thinking about mounting a database on the Internet to contact me to talk about joining up with HEIRPORT. It can accomodate 100 SMRs and more... with best wishes, Kate Fernie Niall Hammond wrote: > > Dear All, > > Following the rising tide of comments seen over the last few weeks on the FISH > gis conference and more recently on SMR Forum regarding the disparity in > heritage information that front-line local government archaeology services both > need and can provide compared with English Heritage, is the time ripe to ask a > very fundamental question? Why in such a poorly resourced sector do we have a > network of SMRs, an NMR, ADS and separate listing/scheduling mapping sections? > Many of which seem to be re-inventing the wheel in various electronic > guises...some more round in shape than others. > > Surely with improvements in IT technology we could use existing resources much > more effectively if we adopted something allong the lines of the following model > which would still allow flexibility and a degree of local idosynchranicity > > EH provide a national archive(NMR aerial photos, hard copy material and > ADS digital catalogue) and a national framework/standard for SMR structure > and content. The NMR as an electronic database in its current form is phased > out. > > ADS/EH/ALGAO develop a national virtual heritage record. This would hold > no data itself but merley be a front end search engine which allows anyone to > remotely question and search all English(ultimately British?) SMRs through > the adoption of the national standard utilising Dublin Core and Z39.50 > standards(something which the progressive HLF funding programmes should > achieve anyway). A good search engine design should allow specific topics, > themes ,geographical areas etc. to be seperately available to the users > hearts content. > > SMRs gain additional resources and staff to adopt the national standard, > provide detailed GIS mapping at a useful scale, improve content and deliver > informed heritage information to a local audience meeting local specific > demands whilst still contributing their data to the national picture with new > data effectively going on-line within hours/days of being added to an > individual SMR. > > Now obviously this will upset lot of people, tread on vested interest and > demolish institutions we have come to know and love(?!), The end product will > however be a true national system but one informed by and meeting specific local > demand and needs. I might even guess it would be cheaper than the current muddle > and definitely be best value. Shouldn't we be brave enough to embark on this ? > > DCMS are currently inviting comments on EH as part of the quinquennial review > process of government agencies,(look on the DCMS site at www.culture.gov.uk for > the papers and details or email [log in to unmask]). Surely then there > is an opportunity to raise this issue begging a response? > > The IT technology exists for such a system including on-line GIS functionality > as we are adopting it for the next phase of the Durham on-line SMR, our HLF > funded Keys to the Past project with Northumberland CC, so any or most problems > of different IT at different local authorties should be able to be overcome on > a timescale which EH and their digital capture of SM information for one don't > seem able to meet. > > Thoughts on several postcards gratefully received. > > Niall > > Niall Hammond > County Archaeology Officer > ALM Department > Durham County Council > County Hall > Durham > DH1 5TY > > Tel 0191 383 4212 > > _____________________________________________________________________ > This message has been checked for all known viruses by Star Internet > delivered through the MessageLabs Virus Scanning Service. For further > information visit http://www.star.net.uk/stats.asp or alternatively call > Star Internet for details on the Virus Scanning Service. -- Kate Fernie Research Officer Archaeology Data Service Dept of Archaeology t 0044 (0)1904 433973 University of York f 0044 (0)1904 433939 England YO1 7EP, UK http://ads.ahds.ac.uk e [log in to unmask]