CIPA 2003 XIX th International Symposium, 30 September - 04 October, 2003, Antalya, Turkey 
input modul for 
application only 
georeferenced 
nonspatial data 
for request 
raster data 
(Visual Basic) 
(Java) 
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Spatial 
DataBase 
* 
ArcCatalog 
Engine 
(ESRI) 
(ESRI) 
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Oracle 
georeferenced 
database system 
vector data 
Figure 5. Architecture of GIS prototype for cultural heritage 
The access to the georeferenced data and to the SDE model 
takes place by means of a MapObjects library from ESRI. 
A large advantage of the MapObject library is the abstraction of 
the developed GIS application of (usually ESRI specific) data 
sources, because the application programmer does not need to 
know the internal details of the used raster or vector data 
structures. These kinds of abstraction levels belong to the most 
important advantages, when GIS applications are developed 
with the help of prefabricated components. 
The most important data sources (supported of MapObjects and 
used in the developed software) are: vector files in the shape 
format, georeferenced raster files in tiff world format and the 
SDE. 
4.2 Features 
The request application enables the user to select a geographical 
subarea as well as to select a historical point or period of time 
and gives back an appropriate result set of objects. 
The selection can be combined with further (optional) selection 
criteria (e.g. keywords and restrictions on certain object areas). 
Afterwards detailed information to the result set can be 
requested e.g. photos or describing texts (Figure 6) 
Figure 6. Request modul of GIS for cultural heritage 
In addition it is possible to visualise the requested objects 
(and/or individual objects of the received selection set) in the 
map with their geometrical forming - thereby the respective 
map sector with raster and vector data is accordingly changed 
on scale. 
Another possibility of the request application is the spatial 
identification function of objects, which can then be shown 
with detailed information. There is also the possibility of 
accomplishing object selections by point or area-related 
selection tools and of computing intersections. 
Visualisation of georeferenced raster and vector data, which can 
independently be faded in or out in superimposed levels, takes 
place in the map window of the GIS application. 
The overlay and/or the opacity of each single level can be 
application specifically determined on the basis of different 
priorities. 
Further "zoom”, "un-zoom" and "pan"-functions are available in 
the respective map section. 
Beside the inquiry and output of information concerning single 
objects of cultural heritage also surface changes can be 
analysed, for example the development of historical settlement 
and culture landscapes. 
5. STATUS 
Within the research project the feasibility of acquisition and 
documentation of valuable historical and current geo 
information in a large-scaled GIS could be revealed. This geo 
information is based on official geo basis data (e.g. primal land 
register map in scale of 1:1000, topographical maps and 
orthophotos), on further official geo data (e.g. data on 
monuments and historical culture landscape elements) and on 
private collections of residents. The architecture of the 
prototype has been chosen modular and platform independent 
especially to use further object-oriented possibilities, which are 
not yet available in conventional GIS. 
From evaluation of possible user groups it arised that the 
tourism at this point of implementation drops out. As the 
prototype comprises a possibility for presentation of historic 
information in user defined time steps, utilisation is particularly 
interesting for local and regional planers as well as interested 
citizens and municipalities. In the projects for rural 
development (e.g. village redevelopment) a well founded rating 
of the grown structures of landscape and settlement is partially 
accomplished. Thereby a selective evaluation and 
documentation of the cultural heritage in a GIS can give 
municipalities a basis for further measures of future based 
planing and sustainable development of the rural region. 
Usage in tourism demands a further work up of the information 
depending on the special requirements of the tourism industry 
that goes beyond the possibilities of the prototype. This could 
come along with the possible integration into tourism online 
portals in the column “ object of interest “ and “ history of the 
vacation region” connected with mapping and routing 
functions. 
As a historic database lives on the data variety with emphasis 
on local peculiarities, an extensive data acquisition and 
evaluation has to be achieved by single persons for which a 
standard program has not yet been accomplished. 
The design of the prototype is in a way that an expansion of 
data sources is possible. To allow a transfer to other areas 
beyond the prototype, the several data structure given by the 
authorities can be adapted.