In history-rich region, a very new system tracks very old things
The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) is working with the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the Jordanian Department of Antiquities (DoA) to develop a new national geographic information system (GIS) to assist the department in inventorying, monitoring, and managing the thousands of archaeological sites in Jordan. The Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities (MEGA) - Jordan is a Web-based, bilingual (Arabic-English) system that will be used by inspectors, archaeologists, scholars, and government planners involved in cultural heritage management and research. MEGA-Jordan is being developed by Farallon Geographics using open source software. The scalable solution will subsequently be adapted for use in Iraq and possibly other countries in the region.
