2024 SAG Award Winners

Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi DCT

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Project Goal

The cultural heritage of any country is an important, but fragile resource that once destroyed, may be forever lost. The aims of this project were to provide heritage professionals with easily accessible, reliable, up-to-date information on the location, importance and threats to cultural heritage sites. Access to such information enables heritage professionals to make informed decisions regarding the impact of modern development on cultural heritage resources. The curation and protection of cultural heritage sites was of particular concern given the rapid pace of infrastructure and urban development within the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The project also aimed to provide a central repository of heritage legacy data within a relational, geospatial database that could be used as a research and educational resource for generations to come.
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Business Problem Solved

Abu Dhabi Historic Environment Record (ADHER) links to the regional planning authority enabling informed decision-making at local, regional and national levels. The wider opportunities offered by a HER include a comprehensive repository of digital and non-digital heritage resources for researchers, educators and the general public. A significant amount of data had accrued since the early archaeological missions in Abu Dhabi in the 1950s but was stored in multiple locations and formats (such as hard copy reports and different computer file formats). Using ESRI technologies and the power of GIS, the development of ADHER was an ideal opportunity to ensure data could be easily accessed, searched or retrieved. The software features interfaces in Arabic and English and includes data input wizards, detailed records, resources, reports, integrations, a Dashboard, Approval workflow, several search options, and Geoprocessing tools.

Technology Implemented

ArcGIS Server
ArcGIS Enterprise
ArcGIS JavaScript
ArcGIS Pro

Development Team Biography

This was a collaborative effort across many sections of the Historic Environment Department: The Department of Culture and Tourism: Abu Dhabi. ADHER development project leaders:
Tariq Yusif Al Hammadi
Richard Thorburn Cuttler
Mark Jonathan Beech