GIRT is a citizen science project for people who are passionate about shipwrecks and other underwater cultural heritage.
For maritime archaeologists, the local diving community is of tremendous importance. They can be a key player in providing information but also in raising awareness and supporting the preservation of heritage sites. The organisors of IKUWA8-conference are therefore very happy to offer local divers the opportunity to participate in a workshop on under water heritage in the day before the start of the conference.
Dr. Andy Vinduka (maritime archaeologist, conservator and founder of GIRT Scientific divers) will be joining us from Australia. Together with colleagues Jessica Vandevelde (Onroerend Erfgoed), Sven Van Haelst (Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee) and Johan Opdebeeck (Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed, Nederland) we will be organising a two-day GIRT workshop.
GIRT stands for Gathering Information via Recreational and Technical Scientific Divers. It is a citizen science project, encouraging divers to actively participate in public archaeology and create added value to their dives.
During the workshop on 12 and 13 October, you will learn about the underwater cultural heritage in the North Sea, the local legislation, what sort of research is being conducted and how you as a recreational of technical diver can contribute to this research. You will learn different techniques to survey a site, how to process your data and how to upload your own research in the GIRT database. GIRT members can then ‘adopt a wreck’ they like and agree to monitor the site periodically using this methodology.
More information on the workshop and how to register: www.vliz.be/ikuwa8/en/girt-workshop-0