IPATRIMÔNIO

iPatrimônio: cultural heritage and online information in Brazil

Abstract

This paper derives from the Ph.D. research “Collaborative Cultural Heritage”, held at the Institute of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo, at the research group Nomads.usp, with funding from Capes, Ministry of Education. The iPatrimônio project (www.ipatrimonio.org) is one of the case studies because it georeferences information about listed cultural heritage in Brazil (tangible and intangible). Currently, the platform provides information on more than 12.000 assets from Unesco, Iphan, all Brazilian States, the Federal District, and almost 800 municipalities. In this context, the State of Minas Gerais is the first one to organize a single list with all the assets listed by the City Halls, through the ICMS Cultural funding, coordinated by IEPHA. This policy will be discussed to emphasize the importance of a centralized survey for access to information by citizens. This paper also offers an overview of the websites of the Brazilian preservation agencies and makes some considerations about active and passive transparencies. According to the study, digital media and communication channels are still poorly used by government preservation agencies, contradicting the Information Access Law (LAI).