Andres Acosta and Soroush Khanlou (GHF) give a talk for the first panel in the third day of the conference, Protecting the past: identifying problems and solutions. AMAL in Heritage is a programme for managing disaster and conflict risks for cultural heritage through a combination of digital tools, training, planning, and community development. Through user-friendly mobile and web applications and a participatory design process with local partners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, AMAL builds capacity for both heritage professionals and laypeople to respond to cultural crises proactively. AMAL’s applications are designed for the rapid impact assessment of damaged heritage heritage places, buildings, or artifacts. By collecting data in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, AMAL preserves crucial information that can be used to repair or reconstruct damaged heritage. AMAL in Heritage aims to develop a community of trained and vigilant conservators equipped with cutting-edge, cost-effective digital tools for the better management and protection of cultural heritage.

AMAL in Heritage was launched by GHF in partnership with Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, ICCROM, ICOMOS Risk Preparedness Committee, and Prince Claus Fund.

During this session, GHF Product Design Director and the app developer will present the Amal iOS and Android apps. They will discuss design decisions and considerations when building a modern mobile-first platform for data capture in the field.