Database Technologies in the Preservation and Study of Urban Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The article gives an overview of digital projects concerned with urban cultural heritage and based on the use of database technologies. Since the 2000s, these technologies have become an integral part of the practice of preservation and study of urban cultural heritage. The popularity of database technologies in this field can be explained primarily by their effectiveness in storing, editing, searching through, and analyzing information. Systems of database management used in digital projects ensure the documentation of various historical sources (written, visual, oral, etc.), phenomena, and processes, as well as provide additional opportunities for presentation and visualization of study results. Undoubtedly, the use of database technologies has a positive effect on the theory, methods, and instruments of the preservation and study of urban cultural heritage. At the same time, the use of database technologies and creation of digital archives (databanks) cannot be seen as a goal in itself and as the end result of digital projects devoted to urban cultural heritage. Instead, the practicability and specifics of building databases should be determined by their potential impact on the handling of certain pragmatic and conceptual tasks. It should also be borne in mind that database technologies usually do not ensure a complete transfer of information from primary sources to the electronic format. Rather, databanks being created today will become sources for the next generation. The prospects of using database technologies for the preservation and study of urban cultural heritage also remain subject to debate. After all, at the present stage it is important not only to expand the thematic focus of databases, but also to combine them with other information technologies, such as geographic information systems, 3D modeling, augmented and virtual reality, visual storytelling, and others.