Our first integration of the Arches open source historical environment platform with CIIM, our in-house middleware solution, takes the Isle of Man’s online cultural offering to the next level.
The new Isle of Man Historic Environmental Record (IOMHER) website, developed for Manx National Heritage, provides a single window for discovery of data stored across different systems. The integration enables users to easily identify and connect information about local archaeological sites and finds, historic buildings and historic landscapes. Places and items of interest such as the island’s famous Manx Crosses can be found through the website’s search tools or located on a satellite map. Users can then research related library articles, archival items, and artifacts in the island’s online collection, and explore related places, resources and people, such as those commemorated on the island’s war memorials.
The source of the resources is a Mimsy XG database linked via our CIIM middleware. Our new bespoke Arches interface module takes artefact records from CIIM and delivers them to Arches for exposure in its map-based user interface. The new module also extracts historical site data from Arches and links it up with artefact records in Mimsy XG to be displayed to users in the iMuseum online collection.
Members of the public using IOMHER will see information about the artefacts available in iMuseum. Additionally, by hooking into the Arches permissions, we’ve made it possible for museum staff to sign in to access private artefact records.
For more information about IOMHER and plans for future development see the Manx National Heritage press release, “The Isle of Man Historic Environment Record Goes Online for the First Time“. Or watch the 10 minute video tutorial on how to make the most of the features offered by the website.