Content:
Data on prehistoric and medieval fortifications of Estonia are presently stored in three different databases.
1. National Register of Monuments (National Heritage Board) – contains information on state protected sites: location, owner, legislative acts, monitoring, photos, digitized documentation.
2. Archaeological sites and place lore information system (ASPIS; Tartu University) –includes general archaeological information on all, also non-protected sites, both prehistoric hill forts (ca. 140) and medieval castles (ca. 40), and is presently linked to the National Register of Monuments. Its strengths are:
a) the map application which can present information based on selected criteria both on modern and historical maps, and
b) access to folkloric data (original texts in folklore archives).
3. Database of prehistoric hill forts (Tartu University) – contains detailed archaeological information on the sites (external features, fortifications, research history, bibliography, results, radiocarbon dates etc.).
In addition, data on excavation reports can be found in the databases of archaeological archives of Tallinn and Tartu universities and the National Heritage Board.
Trusting in co-operation with the National Register of Monuments has turned out to be a failure for ASPIS, because the status of sub-database within a poorly working bigger system does not enable any developments. The future task is to separate ASPIS from the register and to re-write it on an up-to-date and sustainable basis which would make it possible to communicate with other databases