Cave register of the Bavarian Alps and the Alpine foothills maintained by Verein für Höhlenkunde München e.V. (VHM)

Status: 02 March 2012

1. Content and purpose of the register

The cave register of the Bavarian Alps and the Alpine foothills is a collection of information about caves and similar underground objects as well as karst objects and karst areas in Bavaria south of the Danube, including nearby border areas in Austria in accordance with the respective register group boundaries.

It contains surveys, coordinates, traverse data, plans, access descriptions, chamber descriptions, photographs, literature, internet content, video and audio documentation, and all other documents related to cave and karst topics in the area.

The purpose of the register is to increase and preserve knowledge about caves and karst phenomena in the area on a long-term basis. This knowledge is to be made available in particular as a basis for future cave and karst work, scientific studies, cave rescue operations, the prevention of geological hazards, the protection of caves and karst areas, and for specific information requests in individual cases. Parts of the register may also be made available to the public as a source of information, provided that no protective interests, copyright restrictions, or other reasons prevent this.

2. Management of the register and contributions to it

The register is the property of VHM and is administered on its behalf by the register keepers. VHM ensures that unauthorised persons do not gain access to substantial parts of the non-public register data and that the data is protected against loss through backup copies.

The responsible register keeper assigns the register numbers for newly recorded caves. The minimum requirement for this is that, according to the description, it is a cave (a natural cavity at least five metres long) whose location and characteristics are known precisely enough for it to be found again and, if necessary, distinguished from neighbouring objects. A complete documentation should include, wherever possible, accurate coordinates, an access description, a chamber description, traverse data, a cave map, and photographs of the entrance and interior. Information about caves that do not meet the minimum requirements for the assignment of a register number is recorded as general information for the respective register area.

All members of the association as well as external interested persons working on cave and karst topics in the area are encouraged to provide material for the register. Expenses are generally not reimbursed.

The submitter generally agrees that the data may be used and evaluated in accordance with these register rules and in support of the purposes of VHM.

3. Structure and use of the register

The register consists of three parts:

Part A: Publicly accessible section

This part of the register consists of documents that have been explicitly provided by the respective authors for publication on the internet and/or in other media. In addition, bibliographic references, general information about the register areas, and lists of caves and karst objects may be published here insofar as this does not conflict with the protection of the objects, copyright, or other reasons. Coordinates, access descriptions, survey data, and maps are generally not published, except for objects where there are no reasons against publication, such as some long-known caves.

The register keepers examine and decide whether material submitted for publication is suitable and will actually be published; there is no entitlement to publication. A basic requirement is that the authors confirm that they themselves hold the relevant rights, transfer the data to VHM for the purpose of publication within the cave register, and indemnify VHM against third-party claims arising in connection with this publication.

Part B: Non-public section

This part of the register stores all data handed over to VHM without any restriction. All members of VHM have the right to inspect this section of the register.

External requests for inspection or information from the register are decided by the register keepers, and in doubtful cases in consultation with the association's board. External requests that correspond to the purpose of the register are generally granted. Information for predominantly tourist, sporting, or commercial purposes, as well as blanket requests involving extensive complete data sets, is generally not provided.

VHM expressly reserves the right to exclude persons from use or to withhold parts of the register. Copies, printouts, and the taking away or sending of data are handled by the register keepers. As they work on a voluntary basis, an appropriate amount of time must be allowed for handling enquiries.

All persons or institutions granted access to the non-public section of the register are required to treat the information responsibly. In particular, it may only be used within the scope of the purposes of the register and may not be published or passed on to third parties without the consent of the board. Every disclosure from the register is documented with the date, purpose, names of the requesting and responding persons, and the scope of the data.

Every user of the non-public section of the register undertakes to recognise these usage rules and, in turn, to make their own research results, documents, written work, or publications available to the register in a timely manner. Non-members confirm acceptance of these usage rules in writing.

Part C: Particularly protected data

This section stores those parts of the register to which only the register keepers, the rescue officers, and the board members of VHM have unrestricted access, for example because the objects are particularly sensitive or particularly dangerous, or because research work has not yet been completed.

Anyone who transfers data to the register automatically agrees that it may at least be used immediately for cave rescue and hazard prevention purposes. Use for other purposes may, on request, be prohibited for a maximum of 20 years. In important exceptional cases, additional confidentiality agreements may be made with the authors of information. All persons and institutions that come into contact with such confidential data are obliged to use it strictly only for its intended purpose and to maintain confidentiality.

Munich, 02 March 2012 (Gerhard Meidinger)
At the general meeting on 2 March 2012, the cave register rules were adopted with 44 votes in favour, 2 abstentions, and no votes against.