EAIS is the SCA’s official Geographic Information System (GIS). Its overall objectives are to create a functional and efficient bilingual (Arabic and English) organizational system to locate and describe Egypt’s archaeological and historical sites.
Geographic Information Systems are computerized tools for collecting, storing, retrieving, transforming, displaying, and analyzing spatial data. A combination of digital maps and databases, they are extremely accurate in their representations of spatial data, and provide enormous potential for research and analysis.
EAIS’s GIS, an instrument for improved site protection and management, is crucial for safeguarding the physical wellbeing and legal standing of each of Egypt’s historical sites. The database and maps together contain information on the exact location, legal status, archaeological contents, and current threats for each site that has been processed by the EAIS system. This information is then provided to the appropriate authorities to help them protect sites against destructive land use and occupation.
Within the SCA, the GIS is intended to support and gradually upgrade the inventory and mapping operations of Amlaak, the general department for survey and ownership in the SCA responsible for surveying and maintaining legal records on cultural heritage sites.
In addition to its use for the SCA and archaeological researchers, the GIS benefits a multitude of other national and international organizations and actors. The system is meant to be developed with the participation of several partners, and interested parties are invited to join the project’s efforts to improve site protection and documentation.
EAIS entered its third phase in October 2005. Objectives for this last phase include expanding governorate coverage and publishing a number of case studies. Training and institutional development will lead the way to a gradual handover for EAIS to become a fully fledged independent institute within the SCA in October 2007.
