Report to council: a searchable map of the burial ground
1. Purpose
To consider whether the council should put its burial registers onto a searchable online map using Cemetery Guidemap.
2. Background
[EDIT: describe how the council's burial records are held now (for example paper registers, spreadsheets or another system), who can use them, and the problem this proposal addresses, e.g. confusion arising from navigating the current system, the condition of the registers and any lack of 'backup' of the information, or difficulty keeping burial grant holders' details up to date]
3. What is proposed
Cemetery Guidemap brings the council's existing cemetery records together on a high-resolution photo map of the burial ground, embedded in the council's own website. Residents can search by name or date and open a grave to see its details. The clerk edits the records and receives and approves updates to the contact details of burial grant holders (holders of an Exclusive Right of Burial). The registers and other source documents are photographed and left unaltered.
How the work is done: Danson Digital attends in person, flies the drone and photographs the registers and other records for processing. The council gives access to the burial ground and registers, and permission for the drone flight.
4. Benefits
- An extremely easy to use, attractive map-based records system.
- Lets the council keep accurate, secure and cohesive records without needing to rely on paper books.
- Gives the public easy access to historical information without enquiries to the clerk.
- Provides a two-way communication system for burial grant holders and the public to keep records up-to-date.
5. Cost, in two items
The work is split into two separate items, so each can be approved on its own against the council's spending limits.
| Item | Cost (one-off) |
|---|---|
| Item A: Setup and photography Included: drone photography, professional photography of 350 memorials, plots positioned on the photo, software licence (yours to keep), 12 months care plan, training | £1,850 |
| Item B: Records digitisation and input Included: 700 people's records, scanned from paper and / or mixed digital sources | £2,100 |
| Both items together | £3,950 |
No VAT is charged: Danson Digital is not VAT registered. Payment: £1,500 before work starts; the remainder (memorial photography and records digitisation) on completion.
Optional extras: additional records £3 per person; support after the first year £100 a year; hosting by us instead, £180 a year (care plan included); drone photo refresh £500; records refresh £100.
Budget: [EDIT: budget line]
6. Data protection
The council remains the data controller. The personal data involved is mainly the names and contact details of burial grant holders, which are encrypted. Reserved graves and personal data fields are hidden from the public. The software can find, export and erase everything held about one person. By default the data is held on the council's own website; if the supplier hosts the map instead, a data-processing agreement applies.
7. Risks
| Risk | How it is covered |
|---|---|
| The supplier stops trading | The council keeps the complete software, which does not depend on the supplier's servers, and can export all data to a spreadsheet. |
| Errors in transcription | Entries are cross-checked against other records, including headstones; anything unclear is flagged for the clerk to check. |
| Accessibility | The map has had a developer accessibility audit against WCAG 2.2 AA (October 2026): an automated scan found no failures, eleven issues were fixed and some manual testing remains. The report is available. |
| Loss of records | The registers are photographed and the digital records are backed up monthly in encrypted form. |
8. Recommendation
That the council approves, as two separate items:
- Item A, setup and photography of Cemetery Guidemap for [EDIT: burial ground] at a cost of £1,850, to be funded as set out in section 5; and
- Item B, records digitisation and input at a cost of £2,100, to be funded as set out in section 5;
and authorises the clerk to place the orders.
Supplier: Danson Digital, hello@danson.co, https://danson.co.