CIPA is one of the oldest International Scientific Committees of ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites), jointly founded in 1968 with ISPRS (International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) to facilitate the transfer of technology from the measurements sciences into the heritage documentation and recording disciplines.
CIPA originally stood for Comité International de la Photogrammétrie Architecturale (English: “International Committee of Architectural Photogrammetry”).
However, this old but well-known name no longer describes the full scope of CIPA activities, so CIPA Heritage Documentation was established.
The CIPA mission
Being the ICOMOS / ISPRS Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage, CIPA Heritage Documentation is now an international non-profit organisation that endeavours to transfer technology from the measurement and visualisation sciences to the disciplines of cultural heritage recording, conservation and documentation. CIPA thus acts as a bridge between the producers of heritage documentation and the users of this information.
CIPA’s mission is twofold:
- to encourage the development of principles and practices for the recording, documentation and information management for all aspects of cultural heritage;
- to support and encourage the development of specialised tools and techniques in support of these activities
The CIPA structure
CIPA Heritage Documentation is structured with an Executive Committee, the three Permanent Commissions, various Sustaining Members, and many regular and expert members related to the diverse areas of interest of the heritage community:
- recording, documentation and information management;
- cultural heritage information systems;
- digital image processing;
- surveying methods;
- archaeological objects, monuments, sites and landscapes.