PennDesign, the R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation at the University of Leuven and the University College St Lieven are pleased to announce an international symposium titled, “Heritage Recording and Information Management in the Digital Age (SMARTdoc)," which will be held on November 19-20, 2010 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Supporting institutions include UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO Chair for Preventive Maintenance, Monitoring and Conservation, ICOMOS Scientific Committee on Heritage Documentation (CIPA) and the International Society on Virtual Systems and Multimedia.
Beginning in 2006 Robin Letelier brought his vision of an integrated graduate level course in heritage recording, documentation and information management to the Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania. Today that course curriculum, now under the direction of Mario Santana, represents the synthesis of principles and practices considered fundamental knowledge for all heritage professionals. This symposium, initially planned by Robin at UPenn, is dedicated to that vision and his tireless effort to promote heritage conservation through research, teaching, and public service.
Good decisions in heritage conservation are based on timely, relevant and accurate information about the conditions, materials and evolution of heritage buildings and landscapes. Therefore, documenting, recording and analyzing heritage places are an essential part of their conservation and management.
The rapid rise in new digital technologies has revolutionized the practice of recording the built heritage. Digital tools and media offer a myriad of new opportunities for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information about heritage sites. Issues regarding the proper, innovative and research-focused uses of digital media in heritage conservation are an urgent topic in the global heritage conservation field, and Penn, KU-Leuven and its partners have played a leading role in this area of cross-disciplinary research and practice. The SMARTdoc symposium offer a unique opportunity for educators, professionals, heritage institutions, and managers of heritage places to share, exchange, and explore new approaches, best practices, and research results in the area of heritage informatics.