Rhode Island Chronicle

Cemetery Mapping Services and Modern GIS Cemetery Mapping Systems

 Breaking News
  • No posts were found

Cemetery Mapping Services and Modern GIS Cemetery Mapping Systems

June 23
23:04 2022

People all have come across cemeteries that are in a compromised state and where it is not clear who has been buried there. Even if you personally visited a graveyard that was developed fairly recently, you might have observed that the identification of graves is uncertain. But nowadays, cemetery mapping services have evolved and made the identification and mapping of the graves much easier.

Cemetery data spread out between spreadsheets, handwritten and typed books, and coffee-stained maps paint a very real picture of many communities. The effects of disjointed data can cause headaches for caretakers and even frustration for the public. Some cemetery caretakers have invested in consolidating their records but still can’t visualize them on a map.

There are many challenges that come with effectively operating a cemetery, and data is one of the biggest. If you have been working towards modernizing your historic records, you already know that it could take you years to do so on your own.

1. Why GPR cemetery mapping?

In cemeteries across the United States, there are the “forgotten” burials of unmarked and lost graves. This is usually a byproduct of fallen and/or relocated grave markers, though in some cases there may never have been a stone or other marker. Unmarked graves are also common to historical landscapes, battlefields, and crime scenes. Geophysical techniques, such as GPR, are needed to non-destructively locate these burials in cemeteries and in other locations.

GPR cemetery mapping technicians typically look for grave shafts that are visualized as hyperbolic targets suggestive of coffins or vaults.  Every cemetery is different, and local environmental and soil conditions need to be considered when conducting GPR cemetery mapping.

2. Benefits of a modern GIS cemetery mapping system

Geographic Information Systems allow cemeteries to offer their visitors a way to find their loved one’s exact burial location quickly. Additionally, cemetery management, planning, and future development become infinitely simplified.  Benefits include:

  • Preservation of historical cemetery records
  • Capture the knowledge base of seasoned staff
  • Enable citizens to find loved ones using online interactive cemetery maps
  • Provide centralized access to records for staff
  • Consistent placement and management of plots
  • Provide a real-time picture of the cemetery capacity keeping track of the loved ones

3. Cemeteries depend on digital cemetery mapping as an essential tool

In the past, cemeteries relied on handcrafted cemetery maps, which employees would manually search. However, the implementation of digital mapping has changed the way they work and how visitors engage with the cemetery.  With the explosion in the popularity of genealogy and family history research, people are contacting cemeteries in droves, looking for information about family members and ancestors. Digital mapping helps cemetery caretakers provide detailed and accurate information quickly and easily rather than looking through manual records and registers.

4. Digital cemetery mapping provides the foundation for the future

Serving customers online begins with being able to present your offerings in a digital format. A digital cemetery map does exactly that; it visually integrates your property’s location data with a photographic map, allowing viewers to see and engage with burial information in an accurate context—all without setting foot on the physical ground.

A single digital cemetery map can drive all manner of operational efficiencies, as well, starting with a central cemetery management system—a far more reliable and compliant approach than multiple spreadsheets and scattershot paper records.

GIS cemetery mapping is the perfect asset management solution for developing cemeteries. It is vital to ensure careful record-keeping that will be maintained accurately for decades to come. This industry is plagued with missing, misrecorded, or destroyed records that make it difficult to effectively plan for the future.  Ensuring that cemetery records are properly maintained and updated is vital to protecting our collective heritage. With GIS cemetery mapping, caretakers can guarantee the respectful and efficient operation of their cemeteries.

Media Contact
Company Name: ViaVista Mapping
Contact Person: Christina Field
Email: Send Email
Phone: 828-273-3516
Country: United States
Website: https://viavistamapping.com/

Categories