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ARIADNE is funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme
Overview
Kate Fernie
• ARIADNE• Introductions• Digital data in
archaeology• Why preserving data is
important
Overview
ARIADNE• Funded under the EU’s 7th Framework
programme• ARIADNE is an infrastructure project• Aims to integrate archaeological research data
infrastructures• So that researchers can use distributed datasets
and new technologies • Offering training is an integral part of the
project
IntroductionsHolly Wright
PhD in Archaeology and an MSc in Archaeological Information Systems from the University of York. Her teaching and research focusses on field drawing, vector graphics, visualisation, Web design, Web standards and the Semantic Web in archaeology. European Projects Manager for the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) in ARIADNE.
Kate Ferniean experienced professional with a background in Archaeology, museums, information management, standards and digitization in the cultural heritage sector. Director of 2Culture Associates she participates in ARIADNE for PIN scrl.
The use of computers in archaeological fieldwork recording and research has become routine. Digital data is:• Easy to create and to update• Easy to share and access
Images © Buch Edition
Digital data in archaeology
Born DigitalData created in digital format
Digitised Data Hardcopy converted to digital format
Image © State Library of New South Wales 2015Image © Oxford Archaeology (North)
Digital data in archaeology
Storing digital data
A lot of data is being created, where is it stored?
Where researchers store data
PARSE.Insight survey 2009: 1202 respondents from different research domains and countries
“Where do you archive most of the data generated in your lab or for your research?”
“Science” journal 2011 survey of peer reviewers: 1700 responses, (international and multi-disciplinary
• 50.2% in our lab• 38.5% university server• 7.6% community
repository • 3.2% “other”• 0.5% not stored
Note: archived ≠ curated
“For how long do you store most data generated in your lab or for your research associated with your publications?”
“Science” (journal) 2011 survey of peer reviewers –1700 responses (international and multi-disciplinary)
• 38.3% Permanently• 17.9% > 10 years• 26.8% 5-10 years• 16.1% 1-5 years• 0.3% > 1 year• 0.6% Discarded
promptly
What’s on your hard drive?
• Research data
• Unpublished excavation and survey reports
• Project proposals
• Published reports
Do you have any back up?
Warning! • Digital data is fragile• Digital data is encoded and requires software
and technology to present content
Issues with storage medium
• Tapes, discs, CDs and DVDs have a finite life– They degrade over time - Bit rot!– Specific types go out of use
• Can easily be damaged • Data is easily over written
5.25" Floppy
8" Floppy3.5" Floppy
5.25" Floppy
12" Optical Disk
5.25" Optical Disk
CD-ROM
Sparq Disk Cartridge
Zip Disk
Click!
DVD-ROM
Jaz Disk
Floptical Disk
Punch Tape
Rectangular Hole Punch Card
IBM 3480
DLT Tape
DG90M Tape
DC4_120
8mmD-eight
QIC DC600
G2000 Tape
4mm Tape
Ditto Max
9-Track Reel
Cassette tape
Memory Stick
MultiMedia Card
SD Memory Card
xD Picture Card
Smart Media
CompactFlash
Travan
Types that were common a few years ago…
Obsolescence of storage media
4%10%
12%
4%
4%
4%
6%6%10%
4%
4%
4%
8%
6%
4%
4%4%
3D Studio Max
ArcGIS
AutoCAD
BAE SOCETSET
CODA
ENVI / IDL
ERDAS Imagine
Golden Software Surfer
Leica Cyclone
MicroStation
Pointools
Polyworks
RapidForm
TerraScan
Trimble Realworks
Custom software
MySQL
Software used in archaeology• Lots of formats• Become out of date rapidly
ADS Big Data project (formats identified more than once)
Software becomes obsolete
Hardware becomes obsolete
Poor documentationSilbury Hill case study• Large single project• Relatively recent
– File formats were not a problem
• Reasonably structured filing system– A lot of data was duplicated or not needed
for archiving
• A database had grown organically– Gaps in the data tables, e.g. context numbers
were referenced but missing from the linked tables
– Site photography and drawing records not entered; 2007 works were in a separate Excel file; and 2001 works were in a simple text file
– Data was mis-typed leading to errors
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/blog/2013/08/jenny-ryders-day-of-archaeology-at-the-ads-a-silbury-hill-update/
Good documentation of data is important from the start of a project
Before
Why digital data is fragile• Storage media deterioration• Storage media obsolescence• Software obsolescence• Hardware obsolescence• Poor documentation
5.25" Floppy
Copied over the Moon Landing tapes
What can happen…
• NASA sent two Viking Landers to Mars in 1975
• Data recorded on magnetic tape• Climate controlled environment• In the 1990s they could not decode the
formats used• Had to track down old printouts and
retype everything
Photos: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech
What you might need to do…
• 1986 • A picture of Britain -
photographs, maps, etc • Recorded on 30cm laserdiscs• Viewed with software running
on BBC Microcomputers
© The National Archives, Catalogue reference: E 31/2/2 f.238a
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/story
Case study: BBC Domesday project
• By 2006 the laserdiscs were obsolete as were the BBC microcomputers
• Rescue projects launched by The National Archives and Leeds University
• Time consuming and expensive!
© The National Archives, Catalogue reference: E 31/2/2 f.238a
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/story
Case study: BBC Domesday project
"Digital information lasts forever - or five years, whichever comes first."
(Jeff Rothenberg, RAND Corp., 1997)
• “Archaeological research data has a primacy which requires that it must be preserved at all costs. ‘Excavation is destruction’ – the ‘unrepeatable experiment’ – and the digital record may be the only record of precious heritage assets”
ADS report to AHRC (2011)
• data is as fragile as the archaeological sites we excavate
2,000 years in the making
3 days to record
Backed up in 10 seconds
Lost forever?
Image © Buch Edition
Why preserving digital data matters
The Newham Museum Archaeological Service was active in archaeological fieldwork across North East London for several decades.• It closed suddenly in 1998 with little notice• Their computers were sold by the local council• Staff went their separate ways
Case study: Newham museum archaeological service
The deposit ADS received included:• About 230 floppy disks containing over
6000 files totalling over 130 Mb of data
• Files created on a variety of proprietary and obsolete software, some could no longer be opened
• Very little documentation
Image © www.digitalbevaring.dk
After a desperate salvage operation, assorted hard discs were copied onto floppy discs. Almost 10 years work was saved.
Case study: Newham museum archaeological service
“Archaeology is in a special position with respect to archiving because the act of data creation, e.g. archaeological excavation, results in the destruction of the primary archaeological evidence itself. Increasingly, the digital record may be the only source of precious research materials”
We’ve all • saved things on our desk tops and
given them random names • filed floppy discs and DVDs on
bookshelves or in filing cabinets
We have to think about this in the long term when working with digital data.
Protecting digital data
Digital Data and the Archaeological Record
03/05/2023http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk 30
Protecting Digital Data
• Recognise data is as fragile as the archaeological record we excavate
• Stop archiving data as objects rather than computerised information
• Recognise the challenges of digital data
• Professionally archive digital material• Create Data Management Plans
My lithics report is here, on a CD
Image © Lucasfilm Ltd.
Stop archiving data as objects rather than computerised information
• Recognise data is as fragile as the archaeological record we excavate
• Stop archiving data as objects rather than computerised information
• Create Data Management Plans
Protecting digital data
• Put a digital back-up strategy in place at the start of the project and implement it throughout
• Document the creation of the digital archive with information on the software used, operating systems, type of hardware, dates, creators, field descriptions and the meanings of any codes
• Transfer and short-term storage media are not suitable for long-term preservation of the digital archive
• Long term storage must be on servers that are regularly backed up; software and hardware need to be refreshed and archived data migrated as necessary; all this needs to be documented
• The digital archive must be deposited where it can be preserved for the long-term.
A standard and guide to best practice for archaeological archiving in Europe
I promise I will archive my data
I promise I will archive my data
I promise I will archive my data
I promise I will archive my data
… eventually
Workshop programme• Context • Lifecycles
– Good practices• Data Management Plans
– Project and professional data• Archiving & repositories
– Collection management software, Preservation, Dissemination• Data sharing
– Open access, rights, licences, considerations• Interoperability
– metadata, controlled vocabularies, Geo-data, LOD– Portals (ARIADNE)
• ARIADNE services
AcknowledgementsDr. Katie Green, Archaeology Data Service
Jenny Ryder, Archaeology Data ServiceDr. Jeremy Huggett, University of Glasgow
ARIADNE is a project funded by the European Commission under the Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, contract no. FP7-
INFRASTRUCTURES-2012-1-313193.
The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
European Commission.