Dynamics of Industrial Revolution 4.0: Digital Technology Transformation and Cultural Evolution –
Wulandari et al (eds)
© 2021 The Author(s), ISBN 978-1-032-04451-4
Data digging: Evaluation of Indonesia’s built heritage information
R. Wulandari
Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia
W.A. Rahmy
University of Florida, Florida, USA
ABSTRACT: A monument, a built heritage, needs information and narration to be shared with
the public as part of their story that enrich their value as a cultural heritage. Digital technology has
given us data and repositories on almost everything. It has made online research easier. This study
is an empirical study on how to use and develop data digging for architectural history research
on a monument or an object of a built environment using cases studies. From the case studies, it
was understood that the information of an object being spread out are mostly incorrect thus need
correction. Data digging with keyword research can confirm information of a built heritage, correct
the mistaken information, and add other relevant information. Online repositories for Indonesian
built heritage are available not only in The Netherlands, but also in other countries, in other
languages, which need to be selected and listed.
Keywords: information technology, digital repository, built heritage,
1 INTRODUCTION
The world of the built environment has a record of its development, particularly a record of a
building or a monument, even perhaps a record of the building’s landscape and environment, or
even a city. This record might be the note on its construction history, its design and planning, its
social history that involved events, the research done on it afterwards, trading record, guest book,
or even design drawing. All of these records can be found scattered in the building itself, in the
contractor office, at the architect’s studio, photograph at the owners’ property, painting or story
by an artist or a traveler, a magazine, a newspaper, even postcard and stamps. The information
contained in the records could be very helpful for an architecture historian in understanding a
historic monument.
A monument or site, historic monument/site in this case, needs evaluation on its origin, authenticity, integrity, and history to be valued as heritage. The information needed including the time of
construction or inauguration, changes happened, original function. The information gained from
archives and records can help historian and architectural historian in determining a monument’s
age, architectural style, changes from its original design, layer of history, layer of physical changes
in the building, its landscape, even its surrounding.
Archive and historical data have been used regularly by historians. In the last decade, architecture
historians in the Netherlands used archives and historical data to do research on built environment
at their former state colony, one of it is Indonesia. Since the rise of digital technology, with its many
facets, archives and data have been digitized and put online for public information and research use.
This big data of historical archives and records can be accessed freely by anyone around the world.
The Dutch government service, the Cultural Agency, in cooperation with National Archives,
university, library, and Dutch architectural historian have been making workshops on digging 4
data to introduce and popularize the rich online repository of the built environment in their former
DOI 10.1201/9781003193241-16
87
Wulandari et al (eds)
© 2021 The Author(s), ISBN 978-1-032-04451-4
Data digging: Evaluation of Indonesia’s built heritage information
R. Wulandari
Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia
W.A. Rahmy
University of Florida, Florida, USA
ABSTRACT: A monument, a built heritage, needs information and narration to be shared with
the public as part of their story that enrich their value as a cultural heritage. Digital technology has
given us data and repositories on almost everything. It has made online research easier. This study
is an empirical study on how to use and develop data digging for architectural history research
on a monument or an object of a built environment using cases studies. From the case studies, it
was understood that the information of an object being spread out are mostly incorrect thus need
correction. Data digging with keyword research can confirm information of a built heritage, correct
the mistaken information, and add other relevant information. Online repositories for Indonesian
built heritage are available not only in The Netherlands, but also in other countries, in other
languages, which need to be selected and listed.
Keywords: information technology, digital repository, built heritage,
1 INTRODUCTION
The world of the built environment has a record of its development, particularly a record of a
building or a monument, even perhaps a record of the building’s landscape and environment, or
even a city. This record might be the note on its construction history, its design and planning, its
social history that involved events, the research done on it afterwards, trading record, guest book,
or even design drawing. All of these records can be found scattered in the building itself, in the
contractor office, at the architect’s studio, photograph at the owners’ property, painting or story
by an artist or a traveler, a magazine, a newspaper, even postcard and stamps. The information
contained in the records could be very helpful for an architecture historian in understanding a
historic monument.
A monument or site, historic monument/site in this case, needs evaluation on its origin, authenticity, integrity, and history to be valued as heritage. The information needed including the time of
construction or inauguration, changes happened, original function. The information gained from
archives and records can help historian and architectural historian in determining a monument’s
age, architectural style, changes from its original design, layer of history, layer of physical changes
in the building, its landscape, even its surrounding.
Archive and historical data have been used regularly by historians. In the last decade, architecture
historians in the Netherlands used archives and historical data to do research on built environment
at their former state colony, one of it is Indonesia. Since the rise of digital technology, with its many
facets, archives and data have been digitized and put online for public information and research use.
This big data of historical archives and records can be accessed freely by anyone around the world.
The Dutch government service, the Cultural Agency, in cooperation with National Archives,
university, library, and Dutch architectural historian have been making workshops on digging 4
data to introduce and popularize the rich online repository of the built environment in their former
DOI 10.1201/9781003193241-16
87