The Scotcal database contains information from all of Scotland's 32 local authorities, relevant public sector agencies and event and rights holders.

It will also provide a valuable and much-needed internet tool for visitors to Scotland to be able to locate events of their interest and choose by date, genre or geography.

Event planners and managers will be able to see when and where potential clashes might occur and therefore avoid them.

It will categorise entries based on type of event and the region, and will also allow for potential event synergies to be identified - especially where events might provide co-marketing or media and ticketing opportunities.

Paul Bush, chief operating officer for EventScotland, welcomed the launch, saying: "We believe this is a major step forward for the events industry in Scotland.

"In the digital world we now live in, people expect relevant and updated information at their fingertips.

"Scotcal will offer this rich source of knowledge and it forms an important part of the legacy we aimed to achieve from Homecoming 2009."

The calendar is expected to hold a significant number of event details with organisations managing their own portfolio of events to provide the latest information and updates.