From here you can access definitive copies of the current version of MIDAS Heritage the data standard for the historic environment.

Linked pages provide additional advice and guidance and a list of other online resources which expands the ‘Further Information’ section of MIDAS Heritage.

What is MIDAS Heritage?
Do I need to read it?
How was it developed?
What's next?

What is MIDAS Heritage?

MIDAS Heritage is the UK data standard for information about the historic environment. developed for and on behalf of the Forum on Information Standards in Heritage (FISH).  It states what information should be recorded to support effective sharing of the knowledge of the historic environment, and the long-term preservation of those records.  It covers

• the individual assets that form the historic environment (buildings, archaeological sites, shipwrecks, areas of interest and artefacts)
• the work that is undertaken to understand, protect and manage change to those assets
• sources of further information

Do I need to read it?

MIDAS is aimed at all those who compile structured information about any of these aspects of the historic environment. This includes

• .gov - Heritage managers and advisors employed in local authorities and staff in national heritage sector organisations who maintain their own National Monuments Records,
• .org - Amenity groups and societies
• .ac - The research community, both in national government organisations and the university sector.
• .com - Professional contractors involved in collecting data from the field. And software vendors and consultants providing information management and software development services to the heritage sector.

How was it developed?

MIDAS Heritage has been compiled and produced by English Heritage on behalf of the member organisations of FISH. It builds upon the following sources:

• The first edition of this data standard MIDAS – A Manual and Data Standard for Monument Inventories (RCHME 1998)
• Subsequent experience with the application of MIDAS 1st edition.
• The development of international data standards for the cultural heritage sector, in particular ISO 21127 (2005) the Conceptual Reference Model from CIDOC, the documentation committee of the International Council of Museums and the Council of Europe Cultural Heritage Committee.
• The work of the Forum on Information Standards in Heritage (FISH), in particular the development of the FISH interoperability Toolkit designed to assist sharing of information between information systems.
• The experience of the organizations which have contributed to MIDAS Heritage complemented by comments received from reviewers, many of whom hold or are in the process of establishing historic environment information systems.
• Changes in the heritage profession, and the development of new recording methodologies.

What’s next?

Future plans for the development of MIDAS Heritage include the addition of further Information Groups and refinement of those presented here e.g. ‘Area’ and ‘Designation and Protection’.