The elaboration of an updated Digital Atlas of the historical and cultural heritage of Minas Gerais allows diverse community sectors to know the State’s cultural heritage through a visual and interactive reading of the listed items, presented in maps, photographs, drawings and specific documents. This makes possible a constant evaluation of the physical conditions of that patrimony with the purpose of protecting it. Besides, one of the features of the Digital Atlas is its comprehensiveness, since it gathers knowledge from various fields such as Geography, History, Archeology, Sociology, Politics, Architecture and Arts, rendering its content richer in variety.
GIS is a system designed to process geographically referenced data, from its acquisition up to the yielding of outputs in the form of maps, reports, files and magnetic media, among others. It should provide resources for its stocking, management, manipulation and analysis. The spatial information stocked in a GIS can assume three different geographical forms: points, lines, and polygons, which can be maintained in a magnetic medium according to different spatial data structures. Among the commonest ones are Vectorial and Raster, both employed in the Digital Atlas. Due to these characteristics and to the fact that the method of analysis depends on the possibilities of the available tools in the adopted and still-to-be-developed softwares, GIS shows itself to be a system that fits the necessities of the project.
Knowing the patrimony that integrates the cultural heritage is the first step to its appreciation as such. This is the basic condition for its preservation. Therefore, the use of modern resources is fundamental to visualize that patrimony, now available to students, scholars, workers and politicians in a dynamic, interactive way, making the community aware of its historical heritage as an aid to programs supporting culture.
In view of present demands concerning communication, GIS offer countless possible interfaces in the field of historical and artistic heritage. When applied to the study of cultural heritage, GIS allow gathering in the same database all the information concerning the listing process: from texts to photographic documentation and maps in any scale. The mapping aids registration polygons, so that IPHAN can benefit directly from the system, since action to protect architectural and urban assets is today hindered by the lack of definition of precise area limits. This is evident in the historical cities of Minas Gerais, which, except for Ouro Preto, Diamantina and Tiradentes, do not have a precise delimitation of those listed areas. There are also cities where listed places are located within the urban area, and others that have significant buildings to be protected, although not listed yet. Therefore, they need to be mapped so as to be protected.
After completing the specific registers, one can proceed to a simulation that allows a vision of the sites as a whole, so as to make further interventions possible. The areas around the sites are mapped, contributing to landscape preservation as a whole, and defining criteria for alterations in places of historical value.
For all those reasons, the Digital Atlas is very useful to professionals involved in preserving the historical and artistic heritage. They can search for detailed information in the database and consult the site maps at State, regional or city level. Those data can also be available on the Internet. Real estate and chattels mapping, using cutting-edge digital technology, is organized in the form of information layers, allowing users to understand the historical development process either in individual or in superimposed chronological, geographical and artistic sections. An information system is thus obtained and organized according to time and space, pointing out the precise location of a listed patrimony or site.
Concerning the database, alphanumerical information is associated to the graphical entities studied, making possible another analysis and management level and a better understanding of the elements involved in those processes. It is fundamental to have available data about buildings located in areas around historical sites: the owner’s name, the real estate area, its main features, etc.
Comprising as thoroughly as possible the definition of each item, this research can be labeled as a Digital Atlas, a sort of dictionary of the listed real estate and chattels, and a geographical, historical and technical guide of monuments in the State of Minas Gerais.
The Digital Atlas database comprises a cartographical and an alphanumerical basis. The cartographical basis features a variety of subjects including city maps, a municipal cartographical basis, building location and surrounding areas, multimedia panoramic pictures from various angles and original drafts, as well as explanatory and historical texts, among others.
The alphanumerical basis complements those documents with a variety of quantitative and qualitative data. In relation to cartographical aspects, specified data comprise each city name and area, its population and socio-economical indicators, the number of listed buildings, laws regulating and limiting the use of surrounding areas, etc. They also include details of the registered assets, such their name, author, execution date, historical and artistic relevance, cultural and conservation particularities, etc.
GIS is a system designed to process geographically referenced data, from their acquisition to the production of outputs in the form of maps, reports, files and magnetic media, among others, providing resources for information stocking, management, manipulation and analysis. The spatial information stocked in GIS has three different geographical forms - points, lines, and polygons - which can be stored in a magnetic medium according to different spatial data structures. Vectorial and Raster are among the commonest ones, both employed in the Digital Atlas. Due to those characteristics and to the fact that the analysis methodology depends on the available tools in the adopted and still-to-be-developed software, GIS is a system that fits the project needs.