Lecture 07
UNESCO Cultural Testbed
by Patrick McCann (HATII - Glasgow, UK)
Since more and more digital material is produced and received by UNESCO, and it is a more complex material than simple text and images, digital preservation has become a serious concern for UNESCO.
Though UNESCO adopted a Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage in 2003, it only presents the key principles to be adopted, while CASPAR represents a concrete solution to face the threats to which digital data undergoes.
The digital objects to preserve include various kinds of data concerning properties that are part of a country’s cultural and natural heritage and are included in the World Heritage List.
An example concerning the Buddhas of Bamiyan shows why the preservation of this data is essential, not only to maintain the implied cultural heritage, but also to reuse the data, for instance, in order to rebuild properties that are considered of universal value and that risk being lost.
