The mapping project has been implemented since FY 2013 based on the collection and mapping of research information pertaining to ICH safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific region. Aimed at instigating research for ICH safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific region through analysing its current trends and challenges, the mapping project constitutes the core of IRCI’s research activities. To identify the main issues that prevent ICH safeguarding and to find solutions through research activities which experts in the Asia-Pacific region have been conducting, as of 2016, the mapping project has been implemented and managed as an integration of three sub-projects comprised of international symposium/experts meetings, literature surveys, and the optimisation and use of research data with a research database.

International Symposium/Experts Meetings

The following international symposium and experts meetings have been organised since 2013.

• 2017 International Symposium (Tokyo, Japan) - Proceedings (PDF)
• 2016 Experts Meeting (Osaka, Japan) - Proceedings (PDF)
• 2015 Experts Meeting (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) - Proceedings (PDF)
• 2014 Experts Meeting (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
• 2013 Experts Meeting (Bangkok, Thailand)

Literature Survey

Literature survey has been conducted since 2014.

In total, data of 2097 reference materials, 111 experts, and 111 institutes has been collected thus far. (As of March 2018)

• FY2014: Literature (255), Experts (111), Institutes (110)
• FY2015: Literature (702), Institutes (1)
• FY2016: Literature (833)
• FY2017: Literature (307)

Database

Since FY2014, IRCI has been publishing information on literature, experts, and research institutions related to the safeguarding of ICH through the IRCI research database. In FY2018, a survey of universities and libraries in Myanmar was conducted to investigate the needs for the database functions and the current situation. In FY2019, the data in the database and the database functions have been reviewed and improved. Currently, the database contains 2,453 items of data. (As of March 2021)