Seandálaíocht - Irish for Archaeology
 
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I just got news of a major update to the archaeology.ie national monuments database. Some 55,000 summary descriptions of sites have been transferred from the published surveys and inventories and are now accessible online through a map-based interface. This is a great, if often not reliable, resource and apparently there is a major update, presumably similar to the OSI mapping interface coming early next year.

All they need to do now is get publishing that grey literature alongside all the summary descriptions. Click Read More for full details. 

This is to let you know that the National Monuments Service website,
archaeology.ie, has been updated with the most recent datasets of the
Archaeological Survey of Ireland. This makes available some 145,900
records on the Survey’s database. With the exception of the two
inventory volumes for Co. Galway (which it is planned to upload this
year) all published inventory descriptions, revised where appropriate,
have been uploaded to the website. There are now almost 55,000 summary
descriptions available on the website. 

Work is currently underway on improving the website and it is hoped to
move to a completely enhanced map/database search facility application
in early 2011. This will involve the live-streaming of mapping from
Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI). It is important to highlight that the new
OSI mapping is on a different projection to that used on the National
Monuments Service website which is in Irish Grid (formerly known as the
Irish National Grid). All mapping data is now captured by OSI using a
new co-ordinate system based on the Irish Transverse Mercator (ITM)
projection. In 2005 the Property Registration Authority (formerly the
Land Registry) moved to ITM and will only accept this format. Since then
a number of local authorities have followed suit. Over the next few
years, it is expected that all large-scale users in the State will
migrate to ITM (for more information on ITM see
http://www.osi.ie/en/alist/migrating-to-itm.aspx). 

ASI have been preparing for this move over the past couple of years.
The migration to this new mapping forms part of the process in moving
towards compliance with the EU 'INSPIRE' directive. Do note that within
a few years all Irish Grid co-ordinates effectively will be 'historic'
as the majority of users will be working on and in ITM mapping. Current
GPS units will either have to be updated with software enhancements or
replaced by new units where the former is not possible.

I wish to acknowledge the on-going work by the members of the
Archaeological Survey of Ireland unit who are making this possible. A
huge amount of updating and cleaning has been undertaken in recent years
and I hope you will agree that these additions and enhancements have
improved the quality of the service provided to the Department’s many
customers. We welcome notification of revisions/amendments so if you
come across or are informed of any record that requires such, please let
us know.

Please bring this to the attention of anyone whom you consider would be
interested in noting these developments.

On behalf of the Archaeological Survey of Ireland Unit,

Paul



___________________________
PLEASE NOTE NEW CONTACT DETAILS

Paul Walsh
Senior Archaeologist
Archaeological Survey of Ireland
National Monuments Service
Block 6, Irish Life Centre,
Abbey Street,
Dublin 1.

 


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