ABSTRACT
This paper is based upon the work of a team in the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of the West of England (FBE/UWE) in developing 3D computer models and related databases over a period of years. The recent Hortonet and Valhalla projects are described. It argues that spatial digital information forms a new medium best deployed in new forms and not simply in replicating previous approaches to recording heritage sites. It is suggested that in many cases records are neither integrated nor adequate, nor are the necessary resources for such recording easily justified. It is necessary to identify sufficient immediate and longer-term uses to provide a justification. Among these is the provision of a factual basis for interpretation to persuade the public of the value of conservation.
