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The historic city of Shiraz, in the south of Iran, is renowned for its monuments and its remarkable macro skyline, which has been destructively affected by the rapid urban development. This research proposes a systematic historical analysis, which can discover the driving forces behind the evolution of the macro skyline of Shiraz, in the past as well as contemporary times.

The proposed general framework of the methodology is constituted of systematic historical mapping and documentation, which is based on a desk study and field research. Moreover, by means of this methodology, different layers and driving forces of shaping the urban macro skyline are extracted.

The outcome demonstrates 12 driving forces or contributing factors behind the evolution of the urban macro skyline. Based on the results, it is concluded that there was a shift in the subject and content of driving forces during the last century that has contributed to the destructive effects on the silhouette of Shiraz in turn.

It is suggested that the proposed comprehensive method, which is based on the historical analysis and the field survey, can be applied as a documentation platform. It is believed that the analysis and the extraction of driving forces can facilitate future urban landscape management plans as well as possible impact assessments.

Many studies rely on the analysis of historical data in landscape assessment. Nevertheless, this research develops an innovative historical analysis, which identifies the driving forces behind the evolution of the urban macro skyline over time.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of documentation and recording techniques for World Heritage conservation using the case studies of the Petra Archeological Park (PAP) in Jordan and the Silk Roads Cultural Heritage Information System (CHRIS) in Central Asia. In the PAP case study, these techniques could aid in the assessment of risks faced by World Heritage properties and threats to the integrity of the Outstanding Universal Values (OUV). With respect to the Silk Roads CHRIS case study the Geospatial Content Management System (Geo‐CMS) proposed aims to improve information management and collaboration among all stakeholders.

Integrated surveying techniques and information management systems together with active stakeholder participation can be used as conservation and management tools. In the case of PAP, using a systematic documentation tool (MEGA‐J) to conduct site condition and risk assessment of cultural heritage and combining photographs, maps and GPS measurements within a GIS platform allows for identifying the location and intensity of risks, and the degree of vulnerability within the PAP boundaries and buffer zone. In the Silk Roads CHRIS project the Geo‐CMS brings together data from different fields, e.g. geography, geology, history, conservation, to allow for a holistic approach towards documentation, protection and management of a number of diverse sites to be combined in serial transnational World Heritage.

The study provides insight into how digital technologies can aid in heritage documentation and conservation, including stakeholder involvement and training. Moreover, by means of the two case studies it can be shown that a combination of digital technologies allows for an efficient mapping of buffer zones and risks and how a Geo‐CMS can form a common platform to manage large quantities of information of different origin and make it accessible to stakeholders in transnational projects.

This paper discusses the use of digital technology and the participation of stakeholders in heritage conservation and documentation when dealing with complex World Heritage properties, e.g. serial transnational and archaeological ensembles at high risk.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the relevance of cultural heritage inventories and documentation as critical tools for heritage conservation and management in historic cities, through the case study of the historic city of Ahmadabad, India.

The paper discusses the creation of inventories as part of the comprehensive documentation undertaken for preparation of the World Heritage nomination dossier. In this context, the goal of preserving the outstanding universal value of the historic city formed the basis for selection and assessment of the assets to be included in the inventory. Standard processes and methodology employed for creation of the database involved archival research and planning; field surveys for mapping, photo documentation and data collection; data registration and processing using CAD, Ms Office and geographic information system (GIS)-based digital platform. Optimal data acquisition while maintaining cost and time efficiency was an important consideration for the fieldwork.

While an inventory remains a critical conservation tool, the heritage assets are integrally linked to and influenced by their surroundings in an urban context. A comprehensive documentation approach that provides a broader understanding of the city’s natural features, built environment, heritage resources, cultural practices and socio-economic networks is therefore necessary for creation of a suitable management plan for historic cities. Traditional field surveys based on external visual observation are time and cost effective, and can generate adequate information on identification and assessment of built heritage assets for creation of inventory along with documentation of their context. However, the scale of investigation and the intended role of an inventory as an urban management tool calls for creation of integrated, accessible and updatable data management systems.

At the moment, the database created is only used for the limited purpose of monitoring and managing the conservation of listed properties. The importance of the inventory as a critical conservation and urban management tool can be further validated once the GIS database of the historic city is integrated within the urban management and planning system for the city.

The inventory created for the historic city of Ahmadabad offers one of the few examples of heritage documentation at such a large scale. It covers an area of 543 ha with a detailed inventory of more than 6,000 properties. The description of, and the reflections on the process employed provide an overview of usual challenges encountered in creation, presentation and management of heritage inventories for historic cities which may offer useful guidelines to practitioners planning similar exercises and help them establish efficient work processes.

Across the architecture, engineering and construction industry, the application of building information modelling (BIM) as a digital technology for architectural heritage is becoming increasingly relevant. However, scholarly research on the application of BIM for architectural heritage is still in its infancy stage and the research gaps and future directions of this research area are still unclear. This paper therefore aims to fill this gap by using a systematic and robust review using a mixed-method approach to show the gaps of research for BIM and architectural heritage and point to new directions for future works.

The study includes a quantitative scientometric analysis and mapping and a qualitative study. A total of 354 articles related to BIM and architectural heritage were analysed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative tools. The qualitative study consists of a systematic literature review supported by data collected from stakeholder and training workshops on digital technologies and BIM for heritage.

Findings from this study reveal the gaps in the field of heritage and BIM research according to retrieved articles from different countries and journals. Furthermore, emerging domains for future research were identified and these included: as-built modelling and 3D reconstruction; conservation, preservation and management; documentation; maintenance and restoration; virtual technology and simulation.

The common research challenges were identified as an integrated outcome of the findings revealed from the scientometric mapping and qualitative review and resulted in key BIM and heritage research priority recommendations relevant to researchers within this field.

Undiscovered public knowledge is a relatively unstudied phenomenon, and the few extended examples that have been published are intradisciplinary. This paper presents the concept of ‘facet’ as an example of interdisciplinary undiscovered public knowledge. ‘Facets’ were central to the bibliographic classification theory of S.R. Ranganathan in India and to the behavioural research of L. Guttman in Israel. The term had the same meaning in both fields, and the concept was developed and exploited at about the same time in both, but two separate, unconnected literatures grew up around the term and its associated concepts. This paper examines the origins and parallel uses of the concept and the term in both fields as a case study of interdisciplinary knowledge that could have been, but was apparently not, discovered any time between the early 1950s and the present using simple, readily available information retrieval techniques.

Process documents are important and widely used process analysis tools. Although scores of studies draw attention to their merits, only few have focused on them. By providing guidelines for effective process documentation, this paper intends to make a contribution to this under researched area.

Qualitative research was undertaken in this study. Based on the findings from the process improvement and knowledge management literatures, background information about process documents and a step‐by‐step procedure for developing a process document were provided.

There are three important findings of this study. First, process mapping is gaining precedence over process flowcharting/diagramming. Second, process analyzers should be aware of the tacit knowledge of process participants and know how to acquire it. Third, different needs of different organizations require different approaches to documentation.

Documenting a process is a very resource demanding process. The step‐by‐step procedure proposed in this paper will help organizations to use their resources effectively.

This study is the first to look at the process documentation issue from different perspectives stemming from the different needs of organizations. It is also the first to mention about the role of the type of process participant's knowledge in developing a process map/flowchart. This paper should be of considerable interest to practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to boost multidisciplinary research by the building of an integrated catalogue or research assets metadata. Such an integrated catalogue should enable researchers to solve problems or analyse phenomena that require a view across several scientific domains.

There are two main approaches for integrating metadata catalogues provided by different e-science research infrastructures (e-RIs): centralised and distributed. The authors decided to implement a central metadata catalogue that describes, provides access to and records actions on the assets of a number of e-RIs participating in the system. The authors chose the CERIF data model for description of assets available via the integrated catalogue. Analysis of popular metadata formats used in e-RIs has been conducted, and mappings between popular formats and the CERIF data model have been defined using an XML-based tool for description and automatic execution of mappings.

An integrated catalogue of research assets metadata has been created. Metadata from e-RIs supporting Dublin Core, ISO 19139, DCAT-AP, EPOS-DCAT-AP, OIL-E and CKAN formats can be integrated into the catalogue. Metadata are stored in CERIF RDF in the integrated catalogue. A web portal for searching this catalogue has been implemented.

Only five formats are supported at this moment. However, description of mappings between other source formats and the target CERIF format can be defined in the future using the 3M tool, an XML-based tool for describing X3ML mappings that can then be automatically executed on XML metadata records. The approach and best practices described in this paper can thus be applied in future mappings between other metadata formats.

The integrated catalogue is a part of the eVRE prototype, which is a result of the VRE4EIC H2020 project.

The integrated catalogue should boost the performance of multi-disciplinary research; thus it has the potential to enhance the practice of data science and so contribute to an increasingly knowledge-based society.

A novel approach for creation of the integrated catalogue has been defined and implemented. The approach includes definition of mappings between various formats. Defined mappings are effective and shareable.

A literature review or review article is an integral part of a scientific body of research which synthesizes prior knowledge and provides a holistic overview of a subject domain. While several studies emphasize the significance of literature reviews and include the guidelines for conducting a review, limited studies demonstrated different types of literature review methodologies in a comprehensive way. Accordingly, this chapter presents various types of review methodologies which includes narrative, descriptive, systematic, meta-analysis, hybrid, umbrella, scoping, theoretical, and critical reviews. In addition, the authors' skills including logical reasoning, content analysis, literature mapping, critical writing, and ethical consideration are presented. Further, quality aspects of the literature review are discussed such as the rigor and relevance of the selected studies. Overall, this chapter provides implications for researchers in understanding types of literature review methodologies along with their objectives, strengths, and weaknesses which can assist them in selecting a suitable methodology while conducting a review.

Digital documentation techniques of tunneling excavations at archaeological sites are becoming more common. These methods, such as photogrammetry and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), are able to create precise three-dimensional models of excavations to complement traditional forms of documentation with millimeter to centimeter accuracy. However, these techniques require either expensive pieces of equipment or a long processing time that can be prohibitive during short field seasons in remote areas. This article aims to determine the effectiveness of various low-cost sensors and real-time algorithms to create digital scans of archaeological excavations.

The authors used a class of algorithms called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) along with depth-sensing cameras. While these algorithms have largely improved over recent years, the accuracy of the results still depends on the scanning conditions. The authors developed a prototype of a scanning device and collected 3D data at a Maya archaeological site and refined the instrument in a system of natural caves. This article presents an analysis of the resulting 3D models to determine the effectiveness of the various sensors and algorithms employed.

While not as accurate as commercial LiDAR systems, the prototype presented, employing a time-of-flight depth sensor and using a feature-based SLAM algorithm, is a rapid and effective way to document archaeological contexts at a fraction of the cost.

The proposed system is easy to deploy, provides real-time results and would be particularly useful in salvage operations as well as in high-risk areas where cultural heritage is threatened.

This article compares many different low-cost scanning solutions for underground excavations, along with presenting a prototype that can be easily replicated for documentation purposes.