Heritage Information System to Promote Cultural Tourism and the Use of Digital Mapping in Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

The Galicia-North of Portugal Euroregion has a rich tangible and intangible cultural heritage with great potential as driver of local development and tourist attraction. However, in many cases this heritage is not sufficiently well known or appreciated by local communities and visitors. This situation may be due to the absence of appropriate digital initiatives to promote a better knowledge of the history, features and location of the heritage sites. In this context, and taking advantage of the possibilities offered by digitalisation, the GEOARPAD project has been developed as a joint action between Galician and Portuguese institutions (Cultural heritage of the Galicia-North of Portugal Euroregion: Enhancement and Innovation. Ref. 0358_GEOARPAD_1_E). As part of the INTERREG V-A Spain-Portugal 2014–2020 programme, its objective is to promote the identification, classification, protection and dissemination of the Euroregion’s cultural heritage. This article aims to present the process of creation of the Heritage Information System of the Galicia-North of Portugal Euroregion. Firstly, it describes the methodology that guided the semantic and geographic harmonisation of the cartography of Galicia and the North of Portugal. Secondly, it shows the result of the georeferencing of heritage sites in Galicia and the North of Portugal, which constituted the basis for the Heritage Information System. Thirdly, it presents the web application containing the system and explains its potential use for heritage management and the promotion of cultural and digital tourism. Finally, it introduces a digital atlas designed in order to make the Euroregion’s cultural heritage visible and enhance its use in primary and secondary schools.