Kenya’s Museums
TAKE TO THE CLOUD Kenya is digitising its national museums with the help of Amazon Web Services, Intel and non-profit Digital Divide Data, with the hope of creating a free, open-source digital archive of one of the Earth’s largest records of human evoluti
Imagine a world in which the largest record of human evolution – a collection comprising of fossilized human remains spanning from the last six million years, and 3.3 million years of humankind’s cultural evolution, as well as millions of fossils spanning over 27 million years – is freely accessible online to anyone, anywhere. A world where your children can interact in the comfort of your lounge with virtual-reality renditions of some of the Earth’s oldest fossils, stone tools and ancient artefacts. This world will soon be a reality.
Kenya is the custodian of one of the Earth’s largest records of natural history, cultural heritage, human evolution, and some of the best preserved hominid specimens, including Turkana Boy – an almost complete fossilised Homo erectus skeleton of about 1.5 million years old.
The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) – which oversees numerous regional museums, sites and monuments of national and international importance, as well as priceless collections of the country’s living cultural and natural heritage – has realised the need to collect, study, preserve and document Kenya’s history digitally.
So as to live up to its motto, “where heritage lives on”, NMK is partnering with Amazon Web Services, Intel and Digital Divide Data – a non-profit with expertise in the digitisation of cultural heritage collections – to digitise its archaeology and palaeontology collections in the Earth Sciences Department into interactive websites, hosted on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. These will serve as virtual museums.
Amazon Web Services believes in the importance of helping to preserve significant records of human origins. “The huge collection – which includes thousands of human remains – show that our earliest human ancestors evolved in eastern Africa and used tools to acquire their food, respond to natural threats, develop social relations with other members of their species, and flourish on this planet,” says Dr Fredrick K Manthi, Head of Earth Sciences at NMK. These specimens include, among others, stone tools belonging to the Lomekwian Industry (3.3 million years old) from west of Lake Turkana, as well as the earliest member of the genus Australopithecus anamensis (4.19 million years old), discovered at Kanapoi. By mapping and storing online records associated with the archaeology and palaeontology collection, Kenya will curb the risk of losing invaluable data.
Digitising collections across multiple subjects is a continuous process, since new collections are added every year, and the whole process may take up to seven years. “Over time, our goal is to expand coverage to include key collections from all other research departments at the NMK, as well cultural heritage collections from the more than 20 museums under the NMK,” Dr Manthi says. There’s also the possibility of virtual-reality experiences in subsequent phases of the project.
Dr Betty Radier, CEO of the Kenya Tourism Board and also a board member of NMK, hopes that the project will not only preserve the country’s history and heritage, but will also attract many more international travellers to the country as, she says, “a lot of travel planning happens online”. She adds: “We’re excited as it’ll put our museums at the forefront in terms of interest and access, and will showcase what else Kenya has to offer beyond its beaches and safaris.”
Once developed, the online information will target digital-first natives, such as Generation Z-ers and Millennials, with searchable archived material being accessible from anywhere in the world on any smart device. Not only will it facilitate future research on human evolution, but the database will also help to train the next generation of researchers. “The worldwide scientific and research community will be able to virtually access complex and detailed data sets, GIS information, 3D models on specimens and artefacts through the digital archive,” Dr Manthi says. “This will act as a catalyst to accelerate research and data analysis and hopefully provide opportunities for new research projects and discoveries.” While the website will be predominantly open access, some technical and geospatial information will be behind a paywall and only accessible to academics and the research community.
He says that the project will also teach valuable next-generation digital skills to Kenyan youths and provide long-term employment opportunities. “It will provide competency-based
training to young Kenyans in digitisation, cloud services, mobile technologies, and database administration, as well as workforce development and capacitybuilding opportunities.”
A central digital repository of records and collections, based on universal standards and best practices, will assist in the curation of future collections in other museums around the world. “Collaboration is always at the heart of a museum’s success and relevance. Resources, geography and language can be barriers to broad collaboration among museums and academic intuitions, but technology and access through the cloud help to remove these barriers and allow museums to share, collaborate and even innovate together,” Dr Manthi adds.
A world where you can go to your local museum, or sit in your lounge to observe and interact with relics from the ancient world is only years away.