Data Challenges: the Highland HER perspective

https://her.highland.gov.uk
Ian Scrivener-Lindley: HER Officer, Highland Council

Historic Environment Records (HERs) provide detailed information
about the historic environment of a given area. The Historic
Environment Records in Scotland have been created as a result of
decades of research and investigation. They are maintained and
updated for public benefit and used in accordance with national
and international standards.
Historic Environment Record
Formerly known as Sites and Monuments Records
What is an HER?

Advance knowledge and understanding of the historic environment.
Inform strategic policies and decision-making relating to local plans, development plans and
land management.
Inform development management (planning) decisions.
Support heritage-led regeneration, environmental improvement and cultural tourism
initiatives.
Support the conservation, management, enhancement and protection of the historic
environment.
Inform countryside management such as forestry and agricultural land management.
Contribute to research, education and social inclusion.
Promote public participation in the exploration, appreciation and enjoyment of local heritage.
What are they used for?
They underpin the work of Local Authority Historic Environment Services to
enable them to:
What is an HER?

32 unitary local authorities
Scotland:

32 unitary local authorities and
two national parks: The
Cairngorms and Loch Lomond
and the Trossachs
Scotland:

15 archaeology services covering
them.
Well, apart from Inverclyde, who
apparently, according to them,
have no archaeology….

Vital statistics
Wales
Area: 8,023 sq miles
Pop: 3,125,000
Highland
Pop: 235,200
Belgium
Pop: 11,420,163

My previous post – HER Officer
at Chichester District Council
300 sq miles!

My professional ‘home’ since July 2012

Infrastructure and Environment
Planning and Environment
Environment
Environmental Advice and Consultancy Team
Historic Environment

Forestry
Ecology survey
1 Archaeologist
1 HER Officer
1 Conservation Officer
2 Officers
2 Officers (soon to be 3)
1 Planning Officer with only Listed Building caseload

Highland Council Planning Officers
Cairngorm National Park Planning Officers
Developers
Trunk Roads
Utility Companies (water, electricity,
telecommunications)
Forestry Commission Scotland
Forestry Managers
Police Scotland – Human remains
Trusts, societies, students etc
Formulate local planning policy
Input into national planning policy
Provide specialist advice to:
Local Authority
HES / Other
95%
of Highland’s historic environment
ish…
Maintain the Highland Historic
Environment Record (HER)

Commercial archaeological reports from:
• Housing developments
• Wind farms and hydro-electric schemes
• Forestry schemes
• LiDAR surveys
• Utilities (water, electricity, gas, telecommunications)
• Road schemes and other transport infrastructure
Community input:
• Photographs
• Heritage projects
• Site update correspondence
• Survey and excavation reports from groups (archaeology societies and
universities etc) and individuals
… and much more!!!
What goes into the HER?

What is an HER?

What do we do with it all? : HER database

What do we do with it all? : GIS mapping

What do we do with it all? : Website

I was told at the
interview that there
was ‘a bit of a
backlog’…

New stuff! Sites (in blue) south of the broch at Langwell Tulloch, SSE of
Berriedale, Caithness

The new sites, including previously unrecorded hut circles, with our existing
HER data

Enhanced aerial photography taken during the hot summer of 2018 over
Tarradale, Black Isle, with new and known cropmarks of a Pictish cemetery

Excavations in 2019 carried out as part of the Tarradale Through Time
Project. (See: http://www.tarradalethroughtime.co.uk/index.asp)

New Pictish symbol stone and cross slab

Skiary, Loch Hourn: what we used to have in the HER

Skiary, Loch Hourn: after enhancement by our volunteer

Invergordon: what we had in the HER

Invergordon: after enhancement following ARCH WWI project

A Classic HER polygon mess!

Over 1,000 of them!

1 Archaeologist (looking at in excess of 5,000 planning applications annually)
1 HER Officer (also doing a small amount of planning work)
1 Conservation Officer (also EACT Team Leader and currently Acting Environment
Manager!)

Volunteers
Graduate interns
Student placements
Fieldwork Reports backlog (ongoing)
Old SMR map sheets polygonisation
Environmental Statement backlog
Community submitted data backlog

Alex: Fieldwork report backlog
Tim: NoSAS reports and site backlog
Anna: Hut circles in Wester Ross and
Skye
Gordon: Historic Assynt sites
Jonathan: Images backlog
Current HER volunteer ‘team’ projects

Scotland’s Archaeology Research Framework:
Highland project started in June 2018
Project Officer hosted within Historic Environment
Team at Highland Council – 2 years (ending June
2020)
Enhancing HER records

Constant monitoring of my colleagues’ calendars for volunteer space!

Improved map facility and simplified design

Example of an unenhanced
hut circle record

Example of an enhanced
hut circle record

New individual records for
Conservation Areas –
including linked character
appraisal documents

At the bottom of every record page – a new way to contact us and contribute

Access to linked reports and photographs

Award winning!

Collaboration

Collaboration
HER data (Monuments and
Events) is sent to the
Improvement Service with other
local authority datasets as part of
a duty to make spatial data more
widely available

Scotland’s Historic Environment Data is the collaborative national
public information resource for the historic environment. This joint
venture between local and national bodies comprises shared and
linked digital records. It will be professionally managed,
continually updated, and accessible to all, ensuring the greatest
economic, social and cultural benefits for the people of Scotland
and beyond.
The Strategy

Collaboration
SHED Aim 1:
To make major improvements and enhancements to the sharing of, linking and
access to the information about the historic environment
Objective Description Action
1.1
Enhance the ability of the current portal, to
achieve a comprehensive central point for
historic environment information.
• Seek additional resources for PastMap development.
• Develop automated upload mechanism and/or live or near live feeds for
HERs to put their data on PastMap. This will make it easier for HERs to
keep their data refreshed as needed.
1.2
Ensure that information is linked with or
between the key data sources and other
key portals.
• Use current concordance and data linking projects as models to extend
this to other areas.
• Archaeological Archives project, role of TTU and OASIS in creating links
between event records and museum records
• Identify where SHED portal data should be embedded in other
policy/advisory systems (planning, WFD, agriculture etc.)
1.3
All data sources to be available online and
through web services.
• Target HERs that are not yet online and work with them to help achieve
this.
• Aim for complete coverage of Scotland in the HER layer on PastMap
• Explore ways to help HERs to provide data as web services, possibly
through a national portal (SE Web? PastMap?)
• Identify funding, advisory support & timetable to achieve all HERs online

Collaboration
Working together, leading on SHED Workstream 2 through the Scottish HER
Forum Technical Working Group (TWG)

Thank you for listening!

Data Challenges: the Highland HER perspective

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