Esri’s ArcGIS technology has transformed the process of graveyard mapping in Co. Galway for the local authority, making data collection faster and more accurate while also enabling online interactive 3D explorations of grave sites. This approach not only enhances our heritage records but also establishes a model for other county councils and community groups to follow.
In April, Galway County Council announced that it had successfully catalogued and mapped over 40,000 memorials, gravestones and other funerary monuments as part of its digital graveyard project. Some 25,000 of these were recorded using Esri’s ArcGIS technology.
>>> RELATED: Galway’s award-winning digital graveyard project records over 40,000 memorials
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So what exactly is this technology and how can it be used in other digital heritage projects?
Esri Ireland is the market leader in geographic information systems (GIS). Its ArcGIS technology is a powerful tool for managing and analyzing spatial data, making it particularly useful for digital heritage projects. It enables the creation of interactive maps that can be used to document and share information about heritage sites. It also provides advanced capabilities, such as 3D visualization, which can enhance the exploration and understanding of these sites.
Across Galway, there are 235 council-owned graveyards with thousands of gravemarkers that offer valuable insights into family history and the broader social history of the area. In the past, local community groups attempted to capture this information by manually recording memorial inscriptions and mapping gravemarkers with pen and paper. This method was labour-intensive and the resulting hand-drawn maps often lacked accuracy.
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Over the years, semi-digital processes were introduced, involving the manual transfer of data from paper records to spreadsheets. However, these methods were time-consuming, inconsistent and prone to errors. Data was often recorded in various formats but was not readily accessible to those who needed it.
Esri’s ArcGIS technology is now being used in the Galway digital graveyard project to develop a fully digitized process for capturing information about the county’s graveyards. The interactive map created through ArcGIS, and accessed via the Graveyard Memorial Search App, allows local community volunteers and heritage professionals to easily collect data and images on-site in real-time using their mobile phones or other mobile devices.
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Developed using ArcGIS Survey123, the app features detailed aerial photography (orthoimages) of each graveyard; this allows users to easily zoom into the maps of the graveyards on their devices, accurately identify each gravemarker and record relevant associated data. The online map, therefore, offers an efficient, cloud-based solution for collecting, validating, managing and sharing data. This system has expedited the recording process tenfold and produces more accurate and consistent information, contributing significantly to the preservation of Galway’s graveyard heritage for future generations. Barry Doyle, GIS Manager with Galway County Council, said:
“Simplicity is key to all of this. Everything is done in one efficient, seamless process where the data is stored and accessed centrally in the cloud. With this ArcGIS process, we are enabling community groups to achieve their heritage objectives.”
The use of this technology has brought together over 50 local groups to participate in preserving and sharing their local mortuary heritage. Galway Rural Development, Forum Connemara, the National Monuments Service and Galway County Community Archaeology Service are all involved in the project.
Data from over 35 graveyards is already accessible through the app, which allows members of the public to search for burial records and locate ancestors’ graves. Many graveyards can also be explored in 3D, providing an immersive experience of (remotely) visiting family graves. The system is being accessed by historians, archaeologists and genealogists, as well as local schools, among others. The app currently averages about 25 views per day, a figure that is expected to increase as more graveyards are added. Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer with Galway County Council, explained:
“Digitizing Galway’s graveyard heritage has been a powerful way to enable people to learn about the local and national heritage that can be found in graveyards. People can now search for and find photographs of their family’s memorials online and form a stronger connection with their past.”
With more than 30 additional graveyard surveys planned or underway, Galway County Council, supported by the Heritage Council, is rapidly expanding the amount of information available through the app.
Crucially, this technology can be replicated by other local authorities and used by all kinds of community groups moving forward. Jack Ffrench, Account Manager with Esri Ireland, said:
“Being able to access local heritage, digitally, for Galway citizens has been a really important project to work on and exemplifies the true power of GIS technology. It is rewarding for us to be able to work with local communities, and bringing this important history to life will ensure that Galway’s past can become part of its present. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Galway County Council and seeing how this use case could be repeated within other councils, as well as a wide variety of community groups, in the future.”
You can find out more about the technology used in this project here.
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