26 October. The ARIS07 course on architectural records, inventories and information systems for conservation has now finished. Sixteen participants took part from sixteen ICCROM member states.

The four-week course contained a mixture of classroom lectures and discussions, site visits, and a hands-on documentation exercise at the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, near ICCROM's premises.

The practical work at Santa Cecilia improved the ability of the participants to integrate documentation into the conservation process. The left aisle of the church was measured by hand and with survey equipment, followed by digital photography and stereo photogrammetry of the wall paintings and tombs. The resulting images were then rectified and the participants recorded the deterioration, previous conservation treatments, and the original techniques of execution.

The work produced by the course will be used by the Italian authorities to aid further conservation treatments of the Church.

An assessment of the overall structure of Santa Cecilia and the surrounding urban fabric was carried out, fulfilling one of the course objectives of investigating inventory tools and geographic information systems.

All the information collected was entered into an information system on a shared server. The participants then used this system to prepare final reports for use in their home countries.

Other topics covered during the course included virtual reality, QTVR and video. The course was held at ICCROM and is organized jointly by ICCROM and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI).

Member States represented: Azerbaijan, Barbados, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Serbia, Tanzania, and United States

updated on: 13 April, 2010