British Geological Survey (BGS) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have created the Building Stone Database for Scotland (BSDS) – an ‘to define and describe all of the building stones of Scotland’ – and is seeking volunteers to test the portal, returning survey forms by 12 January.
…looking for volunteers to have a go…
…aim to raise awareness and appreciation of the richness of the building stone legacy…
Ali Davey, project Manager at HES writes:
The Building Stone Database for Scotland… a searchable database… launched over a year ago in 2019…
We’re looking for volunteers to have a go and see how they find using it. Their feedback will help us improve the functionality and user experience, as well as help us decide what additional data we should focus on adding going forward…
HES writes:
… British Geological Survey (BGS) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have worked together to create the Building Stone Database for Scotland (BSDS). This ambitious project aims to define and describe all of the building stones of Scotland, and for each one provide details of the quarries from which the stone was sourced, the built sites in which the stone has been used, and any samples of the stone held in publicly accessible reference collections.
The BSDS is the central component in a series of joint initiatives by HES and BGS that aim to raise awareness and appreciation of the richness of the building stone legacy in Scotland, and ultimately help to safeguard the long-term health of our stone-built heritage.
Target users of the BSDS include all those with an interest in the history, legacy and future prospects of Scotland’s remarkable stone-built heritage; they include conservation specialists, heritage specialists, architects, quarriers, and historians. However, the BSDS is not intended to replace the need for expert judgment where this is important, for example in identifying suitable stone to use in making a building repair.
The database design is completed, and population is ongoing; the database currently holds records for approximately 200 building stones, 4,400 quarries, 600 built sites and 1,000 samples.
An essential part of the project is to make the data held in the BSDS accessible to the public through a web portal. The database structure is relatively complex, and creating a portal that is easy to navigate for all users is challenging. Hence, a series of beta tests (where a cohort of intended users provides feedback on utility, functionality, glitches etc) is planned that will underpin efforts to improve the portal. On the basis of the first beta test, a ‘search by theme’ facility has been added to the portal that allows users to tailor searches more precisely than was previously possible.
What you need to do!
… Please spend some time using the portal, ideally both browsing and searching for specific pieces of information, then fill in the form on the back of [the download below] and return it to ali.davey@hes.scot.
Once again, thank you for taking part, your feedback is much appreciated.
DOWNLOAD the form
Clicking on this link will take you to the landing page of the BSDS web portal.
