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Geodatabase to play important role in preserving Jordan's archaeological treasures

AMMAN (JT) - A newly designed Arabic-English, web-based geographic information system will standardise and centralise information on archaeological sites throughout the Kingdom into a single system, maintaining information on exact locations and boundaries, site characteristics and condition.

The Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities, Jordan - or MEGA-J - was developed by the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) in Los Angeles in collaboration with consultant Farallon Geographics, Inc., according to a statement released by GCI on Tuesday.

"The looting and destruction of archaeological sites in the wake of the Iraq war shows that protecting a country's cultural heritage during a time of conflict is no easy task, especially when that heritage involves historically important sites that can't be moved out of harm's way. But even in times of peace, the preservation of a country's archaeological heritage depends upon a comprehensive understanding of historic site locations, dimensions and their key characteristics. And while the boundaries of ancient Mesopotamian cities such as the mud-brick of Babylon in Iraq or the distinctive rock-cut architecture of Petra in Jordan are more difficult to miss, they, along with smaller, less well-known sites are increasingly at risk from a range of threats including tourism and urban encroachment," the GCI statement said.

Now, partnerships between the GCI, the World Monuments Fund (WMF), and separately with the Department of Antiquities (DoA) and the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) seek to aid in the complicated task of inventorying, monitoring and managing archaeological sites and monuments in the Middle East to help protect them for future generations.

MEGA-J will play an important role in preserving the Kingdom's archaeological treasures, and will serve as the prototype for a similar system to be undertaken after the war ends in Iraq, the statement said.

"The archaeological record found in Jordan and Iraq is one of the most important in the world, and the Getty Conservation Institute is pleased to be able to partner with the World Monuments Fund and the Jordanian Department of Antiquities on a project that aids in saving this rich cultural heritage for future generations," said Neville Agnew, principal project specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute.

As a planning and decision-making tool, MEGA will allow officials to address issues such as site protection and management, infrastructure and development control, and compliance with World Heritage Site requirements, and will be used in the development of national and regional research strategies.

Importantly, MEGA will enable the DoA to coordinate heritage site data with other national authorities, such as ministries dealing with infrastructure development, agriculture and tourism as well as provincial and municipal governments, the statement said.

DoA Director General Fawwaz Khraysheh said Jordan pioneered a database for the management of archaeological sites in the early 1990s, originally called JADIS.

"That database needed to be upgraded and the DoA, in looking for a partner, turned to the GCI and WMF for the development of MEGA-Jordan," he added, noting thatthe Kingdom "will now continue its pioneering role in implementing and fully integrating the use of MEGA-J into the DoA's daily activities, and in training our colleagues from the region on such programmes".

The system will be especially important in terms of infrastructure and development planning as it becomes difficult to manage a site when its exact location and boundaries are not known.

The MEGA-J system will allow the DoA to effectively address the potential impact of projects like construction of buildings, roadways and pipelines on or near archaeological sites.

MEGA-I

This tool will also be important at the completion of the war in Iraq, as new development often can mean unwitting encroachment, the GCI said, adding that MEGA-I will be launched in partnership with the SBAH at a future date.

"As we look toward the return of stability in Iraq, we want to make sure new development does not happen at the expense of important cultural heritage sites. The Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage looks forward to having a new tool that will help us with our long-term strategic efforts in this area," said SBAH Director Amira Edan.

The web-based system is being developed using open source software - one of the first such systems, in fact, to be entirely crafted using open sourceware. Because the code is not proprietary, it will be easily accessible and updates can be made at no or little cost - unlike proprietary systems that in local terms can cost the equivalent of several annual salaries to upgrade. This also means that the system can easily be modified and is flexible enough to meet future needs, the GCI statement said.

The development of MEGA-J evolved from related work in the GCI-WMF's ongoing Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative, intended to help the SBAH in the stewardship of Iraq's archaeological and architectural sites.

Jordanian officials aiding in the Iraqi effort also possessed a similar need for an updated electronic inventory in their country and when war made the deployment of the system in Iraq temporarily impossible, the GCI and DoA decided to move forward with a system for the Kingdom that will be later adapted for Iraq, according to the statement.

Data collection for MEGA-J began in February 2008 and will continue in parallel with development of the new system while a prototype will be installed in the DoA offices in Amman and Irbid in the spring of 2009.

Once the system is fully deployed in Jordan, developers will provide ongoing technical support for an additional two years to ensure that DoA staff can maintain the system, the GCI said.

Work on the Iraq version of MEGA will begin immediately after the Jordanian system is fully deployed in the fall of 2009.

In the meantime, select Iraqi SBAH personnel have been preparing by participating in specialised training programmes held in Jordan by the GCI-WMF Iraq Initiative, with support from UNESCO, the DoA and the American Centre of Oriental Research in Amman.

© Jordan Times 2008