The Qatar National Historic Environment Record: a bespoke cultural resource management tool and the wider implications for heritage management within the region

Summary It is no surprise that the integration of remotely sensed data from both terrestrial and marine sources is improving our discovery and interpretation of cultural heritage. As technological advances provide the capacity to produce and utilize large spatial datasets, their integration with existing data presents new challenges for heritage managers and future researchers. In terms of large datasets, countries such as Qatar are in a unique position given the vast amounts of commercially gathered geophysical and geotechnical data. These data can be used to model past landscapes and inform future research within the region, without the major expense of largescale geophysical survey. However, the true value of such datasets can only be achieved if this leads to the pro-active management and protection of the resource, from designation and curation to forward planning and future research. Over the past year, Qatar has developed a new National Historic Environment Record (known as QNHER) for this purpose. This includes data standards for recording and archiving both currently known and new archaeological sites. The diversity of cultural heritage, site types, and chronology between the Arabian Peninsula and Europe meant that simply attempting to transplant Western models of historic environment records and heritage management was inappropriate. QNHER was therefore developed as a bespoke database together with staff from the Department of Antiquities and specifically geared towards regional chronologies, local environments, chronological and spatial variation, and existing data standards. This is not to say that useful aspects of data management in other regions were ignored. Data managers were extensively consulted about the most efficient way in which data should be stored to optimize retrieval. Combined with GIS, QNHER becomes a very powerful management and research tool, able to map the distribution of sites according to variable criteria and produce reports on the data from specific queries. This combined database and GIS is not simply a tool for analysis, but also facilitates a flow of data between the Department of Antiquities and the Urban Planning Development Authority, bringing heritage into the frame when planning decisions are taken. In addition, QNHER facilitates a systematic digital record of Qatar's known archaeological and built heritage in accordance with the Qatar Antiquity Law No. 2, 1980. Managing monuments in this way will empower and inform heritage custodians, while leaving a lasting legacy for future researchers. A number of Antiquities departments within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries are investigating models for historic environment record development and it currently seems an ideal opportunity for heritage managers across the region to meet and discuss international Arabian data standards. Such strategies impact upon education, the accessibility of heritage information to the public, and how the historic resource is managed across the Arabian Peninsula.