Stonehenge, Wiltshire, conservation and management of the World Heritage Site

This year has seen further advances with the introduction and development of a dedicated Geographic Information System. Existing graphic and textual data, originally held on 2 separate systems (CAD and database files) have now been integrated, creating a more effective tool for data management, analysis, and presentation. Many of the existing data sets have been expanded and updated, and the Central Archaeology Service has also defined data standards which provide guidance on the format necessary to transfer data to the new system. As well as updating information on the recorded archaeology, entirely new data sets have been acquired including satellite imagery, colour aerial photography, and very high resolution height data. Spot heights supplied by EH Survey Services, accurate up to 10 cm, are being used to generate improved Digital Terrain Models to research intervisibility and spatial relationships within the Stonehenge environs. With the establishment of data standards and transfer procedures a comprehensive research agenda is now being formulated which will take full advantage of the integrated data set, to help develop our understanding of the landscape. The role of GIS in the management of landscapes is also being assessed with a view to extending its application to other landscape-based World Heritage Sites. A digital terrain model of the World Heritage Site is available on the WWW in the 1994-95 Archaeology Review.