The relevance of GIS in the evaluation of vernacular architecture

Ford, M; Elkadi, HA; Watson, L

Abstract

In the present climate of financial restrictions, the importance of identifying those buildings that are of greatest value has increased. Identification necessitates knowledge, not only of the architectural and historic worth of a building, but also of its role and contribution to the history and landscape of its location. This paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in aiding historic research and analysis of vernacular architecture.

Related work in the development of GIS technology to assist in reconstructing and visualizing historical geography has been described by Southall and the role of GIS in managing and analysing spatial data in the field of archaeology has also been well documented. By using a Unix-based Arc/Info GIS and incorporating geo-referenced spatial and textual data, a more comprehensive and contextual method of recording buildings can be developed. This allows better informed judgements to be made when evaluating individual buildings or preparing conservation strategies.

Citation

Ford, M., Elkadi, H., & Watson, L. (1999). The relevance of GIS in the evaluation of vernacular architecture. Journal of Architectural Conservation, 5(3), 64-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556207.1999.10785252

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 1999
• Deposit Date: Jul 9, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Architectural Conservation
• Print ISSN: 1355-6207
• Electronic ISSN: 2326-6384
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 64-75
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556207.1999.10785252
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13556207.1999.10785252
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/raco20#.VY1PZKI0XTo