Preserving rock art at the touch of a button Published on: 23 November 2017 Some of the world’s most ancient art could be protected with a new app designed by Â鶹´«Ã½ heritage and software experts. Potential threats Rock art – also known as cups and rings – is under threat. Made by our Neolithic and Early Bronze Age ancestors between 6,000 and 3,800 years ago, it is mostly found in the countryside. There are more than 6,000 panels in the UK and Ireland – but increasing population densities and agriculture, along with climate change, pose a danger to it.That’s where the new app comes in. GPS locates the site of the rock art, and users then log its condition. It registers the state of the motifs and any potential threats – such as damage from being driven over or livestock. , in the at Â鶹´«Ã½ said: “Previously, any reporting was done on paper and that’s not always practical when you’re in the middle of the countryside and there’s a heavy wind.“Almost everyone has a smartphone with them at all times, so creating an app was the obvious way to solve the problem.” Immediate concerns If there is no mobile phone signal – as is common in parts of the countryside, the reports are saved and can be uploaded once a new signal has been located.Once uploaded, the reports are distributed to the University’s project team, via the dedicated ‘Heritage and Science: Working Together in the CARE of Rock Art’ project portal, and directly to heritage officials in the counties in which the art is located. A scorecard has been developed to measure the overall risk to the art. “What’s nice about the app is that as well as flagging up any immediate concerns, it also gives us a baseline,” said Dr Myra Giesen, a Visiting Fellow in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, at Â鶹´«Ã½. “This means we’ll be able to monitor how the rock art is doing over a period of years.” at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “It’s very satisfying to see our skills being used to enhance the safeguarding of ancient heritage resources.” Safeguarding rock art The app is downloadable free from or Apple iTunes (iOS), searching on ‘CARE Rock Art.’ Also visit the to learn more about the project, which was set up to develop materials and research that aid in the safeguarding of threatened open-air rock art. The project is a collaboration between Â鶹´«Ã½ and Queen's University Belfast and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Â鶹´«Ã½. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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