The American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman hosted an intensive 10 day training session on surveying techniques during the period May 31-June 10, 2005 as part of the Getty Conservation Institute/World Monuments Fund Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative. Participants included eight archaeologists, surveyors and engineers who work for the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH). The purpose of the training program was to train participants on the use of Reflectorless Electronic Measurement devices (REDM), Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD), and photorectification software in order to generate site maps relevant to SBAH's Cultural Heritage Rapid-Assessment Program. The program provided hands-on training on the use of the TCR407 Power Leica Geosystems Total Station, Theolt, AutoCAD, and Photoplan, all tools that will be used to generate topographic maps of cultural sites in Iraq. With these new skills, SBAH employees will return to Iraq better equipped to assess the state of Iraq's cultural heritage and make recommendations for conserving their heritage.

The program's contents and sessions were developed in cooperation with the English Heritage's Metric Survey Team and Leica Geosystems. Additional support was provided by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan and the R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation.