Digitization of cultural heritage: model of an integral, three-dimensional spatio-temporal thesaurus

Rimvydas Laužikas

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2005, 16, 93-112

Abstract

Digital technologies developed during the last decades substantially change the processes of accumulation, custody, record and investigation of cultural heritage as well as the processes of spread of information on cultural heritage. Basic features of current situation of digitalization of Lithuanian cultural heritage are: a) willingness of most institutions to digitalize the data they have; b) financial problems of digitalization; c) absence of national strategy; d) low level of inter-institutional collaboration; e) low level of standardization. Taking into account the last three features we can forecast that sooner or later (if the situation does not change) Lithuanian digital information systems of cultural heritage will be confronted with the problem of usage efficiency. Perhaps the most important parameters characterizing cultural heritage are historical space and historical time. But we do not have any wider systems of presentation and classification of historical space and time designed for digitalization of cultural heritage in Lithuania. Object of this article is the models of historical geography and historical chronology applied in the digitalization of cultural heritage. Aim of the article is the presentation and substantiation of the model of a space and time thesaurus (standard) of Lithuanian systems of digitalization of cultural heritage. The basic aims of such a thesaurus are the following: 1) creation of a universal method of presentation of historical space and time in digital environment; 2) consolidation of a general scheme (standard) of periodization and historical geography (to put on end to disputes among the specialists on this subject); 3) standardization of space and time presentation in digital environment; 4) organization of management of digital information of cultural heritage; 5) geographical and chronological classification of the objects of cultural heritage; 6) integration of all historical geographical data in a single system that becomes a form of digital cultural heritage; 7) digitalization of the data of different objects of cultural heritage in single and integral form; 8) analysis and dating of information of the objects of cultural heritage; 9) creation of schemes of cultural development.

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