Annotated Atlas of the Heritage Sites of Assam: Using GIS
The project “Annotated Atlas of the Heritage Sites of Assam” aims to identify historical, cultural, social, and natural sites in every district of Assam. The research involves using ArcGIS Pro software for data collection and analysis, with a two-stage approach: fieldwork and survey, and GIS mapping. Data collection methods include interviewing residents and administering questionnaires to document heritage sites over 100 years old, including temples, rock-cut inscriptions, satras, schools, Old Vernacular Assam-type houses, British Era structures, and other sites with significant significance. GPS point data was collected using Garmin GIS MAP 66S, while detailed photographs were taken using a Nikon D5700 camera.
The collected information was used to craft engaging stories using the ArcGIS Pro Storymaps tool, which includes narrative texts, photos, videos, audio, and interactive maps. These stories are written in an easy-to-understand language and have easy access, with the published stories equipped with QR codes and URLs for easy access by interested individuals.
The Kamrup Metropolitan District was used as the initial study area, with the Assam Government's election district used to extract the district boundary. A systematic division of the district into four L.A.Cs was done, and four maps were prepared for each L.A.C. The region was further divided into site-coverable grids to classify the map. Satellite images and spatial data from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and BHUVAN were evaluated to create different sets of maps for each L.A.C., including physical and topographical maps such as slope, contour, hillshade, aspect, and terrain.
