Internet Archaeol 15. Paul Gilman. Digital imaging

2.3 Digital imaging

Many SMRs have assembled photographic collections, often based around aerial photographs from their own surveys and/or those of national, regional and local organisations and individuals. The national library of air photographs at Swindon and the Cambridge University collection are perhaps the two major sources. However, in most, if not all, cases these collections have not yet been digitised, owing to a lack of resources and suitable computing facilities, but a change is beginning. This is a result of the advent of external funding sources (see 2.4), the increasing emphasis on e-government and electronic delivery of services, and the availability of cheaper means of storing vast digital archives. As a result, the next few years should see a substantial growth in the amount and range of SMR collections available to users.