A NEW chapter in Dorset history opens this week when a digital Domesday Book gets its official launch.

The £500,000 project to map Dorset's treasures electronically will be launched on Thursday by the author and TV personality Julian Richards, who presents Meet The Ancestors.

The Dorset Coast Digital Archive (DCDA) contains thousands of maps, charts, photographs and artefacts relating to the man-made and natural history of the region and can be accessed by any computer which is linked to the Internet.

The virtual collection looks set to be a valuable resource for students, teachers, surveyors, environmentalists and all those interested in local and family history.

Visitors to the archive will be able to take a virtual flight over the Dorset coast, get a close-up view of an archaeological find or research their family history at the touch of a button.

The DCDA has been made possible thanks to National Lottery cash distributed through the New Opportunities Fund.

The project is spearheaded by Bournemouth University but other partners include Dorset County Council, the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society and Bournemouth Borough Council.

David Ball, librarian at Bournemouth University who is helping to input the archive material, said the project brought together a wealth of information that until recently could only be accessed at selected sites around the county.

Mr Ball added: "Our project will ensure that this rich mosaic of material reflecting the cultural heritage, natural environment and local histories of Dorset is available to everyone, anywhere, at any time.

"We expect this resource to grow and develop as technology advances and as more materials are made available to add to the collection."

Mr Richards has been invited to the Russell-Coates Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth to launch the archive.

To check out the archive, Internet users should visit: www.dcda.org.uk