CIPHER is a two and a half year project that started in April 2002 and is supported by the European Commission under the theme 'Heritage for All'. The overall objective of the CIPHER project is to develop the methodology and technology required to realise sustainable Cultural Heritage Forums that empower communities of interest to explore, research and build cultural heritage content. A Cultural Heritage Forum is defined as an online space where people can participate and learn through accessing and contributing to a range of heritage resources organised around a common theme. Users of the Cultural Heritage Forum are therefore engaged as active participants rather than passive viewers. Cultural Heritage Forums have an associated region which may traverse country borders.
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The four Cultural Heritage Forums being developed in the CIPHER project are:
- 'Irish Cultural and Natural Heritage'. This forum presents information from a large database of Irish archaeology held digitally by The Discovery Programme.
- 'Nordic Heritage through Storytelling and Historical Artefacts'. A forum built around the narratives represented in the Carta Marina, Circa 1539.
- 'Shared Heritage of Central Europe'. This forum provides online access to a large volume of data concerning historical sites in the Czech Republic and Austria.
- 'Tradition of Technology Innovation in South Central England'. This forum is built on the historical record of the cryptanalysis work done at Bletchley Park, home of Collossus, the World's first programmable computer.
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Further information on the project can be found on the CIPHER website: http://cipherweb.open.ac.uk
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