Development of a geo-informatics database system to support urban conservation and rehabilitation: A case study of Mueang Ratchaburi district, Thailand

This research aims to investigate and process information of important buildings with historical and cultural values in the old town of Mueang Ratchaburi district in Ratchaburi province, Thailand and to develop a database system to support urban conservation and rehabilitation. This research was qualitative using a field survey and in-depth interviews with 15 government and private agencies who were involved in the conservation of important buildings in the area. Data was then collected and analyzed to develop a geo-informatics database system to support the urban conservation and rehabilitation of these important buildings. The results showed that there were a total of 43 historic sites and important buildings in the district, of which 19 were already registered with the Fine Arts Department. Many of these important buildings, 16 sites in total, were located in the Na Mueang subdistrict. A database was then developed in the geographic information system by creating a database on Google Sheets so that users could easily add, delete or edit information. A connection was then made to the AppSheet platform to enable viewing on both smartphones and web browsers. It was found that users could update, manage, and view data on the map. Users could also search information, calculate the route and duration, and connect to the links to see the registration documents that appear in the Royal Thai Government Gazette for buildings registered with the Fine Arts Department.