Integrating geomatics and building-crafts knowledge: Adapting FAIR and CARE principles for sustainable and inclusive heritage policy and practice

In this article we examine the role of digital and manual data on protected monuments and heritage structures in ways that can adequately account for: the nuance and individuality of embodied knowledge and non-formulaic approaches to protected monument and heritage structure conservation, typically adopted by craftspeople, and other influencing factors on-ground. 
Keeping this question in mind our aim is to highlight the central role of skilled craftspeople in heritage conservation-management on-ground and argue for their intangible knowledge to be included in national-level informatics platforms, such as Open Government Data and BHUVAN. Simultaneously we argue for the continued relevance of empirical field-based professional knowledge as it plays an important role; in mediating between technology, building-crafts, and influencing factors.
We build on our project-based experiences to make a case for policy-level applications of our suggestions in the Indian context. Given the shift to integrate heritage data on national-level portals we believe in the not-too-distant future they could host not just tangible heritage data but intangible heritage-conservation management data as well. We argue that one form of data cannot replace the other; all have key roles to play. Hence we suggest a need to not only bring together CARE and FAIR principles but also adapt them as appropriate to our geographical and socio-cultural context. Adopting these principles uncritically would defeat the aims of both data management principles and of heritage conservation-management practice and policy, namely to be contextual, sustainable, inclusive and offer collective benefit.