The field of archaeology is full of data; data about sites, the materials found at sites, and data about what happens to the materials found at sites after excavation. Preserving this information is of vital importance, because once a site has been excavated, it can be very difficult if not impossible to regain lost data. Digital Antiquity is a multi-institutional organization created specifically to support The Digital Archaeology Record (tDAR), which is an international digital repository tasked with “ensuring the long-term preservation of irreplaceable archaeological data and to broadening the access to these data.” It is currently being incubated by Arizona State University, but the long-term goal is for it to become a self-sufficient non-profit organization or be incorporated into an appropriate non-profit, like a professional organization. So far it has been funded through grants and government agencies.
Site map of Jonathan Creek
tDAR has obtained funding through the National Science Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and paying clients. While is free to join, only members can access the data stored in the archive and those interested in uploading content must pay a one-time fee. This fee supports long-term preservation of the data as well as permanent shared access to all files stored in the repository. These files include many resource types, ranging from data sets and images to 3D and sensory data and GIS maps. All of these file types help to shape the disparate data collected in the field into a coherent picture of the sites and how their occupants lived, and are vital to understanding human-kind’s history.
Policies have been put in place to ensure the proper preservation actions can be administered to best protect the data submitted to tDAR’s repository, which include:
- providing options for contributors to designate a proxy organization to assist with long-term management of access to materials they have uploaded
- all Digital Antiquity staff members have access to all files and metadata and can access and review materials for proper preservation and curation on behalf of contributors
- metadata may be slightly edited, including spelling, grammar, or normalization of keywords/common search terms
- tDAR will produce derivative copies of all files submitted by contributors (ex: thumbnails)
- archival copies may be made, such as for migration of files to archival formats
- making best efforts to maintain archival copies that maintain original functionality, appearance, and data fidelity. Failing that, attempts will be made to preserve content
- If tDAR can no longer perform its function as an archive, a formal agreement has been made with another archive to continue preservation and accessibility of tDAR materials.
Trans-Atlantic Gateway
An example of their curation work include the integration of the National Park Service’s system to catalog the significant number of reports generated by archaeological investigations for public projects across the United States. Titled the National Archaeological Database (NADB), it was integrated into tDAR in 2011. Another project they have worked on is creating interoperability between the Archaeological Data Service & tDAR. This project is called the Trans-Atlantic Gateway, or TAG, and is funded jointly by JISC & US Nat’l Endowment for the Humanities. In order to enable interoperability, the repositories use Dublin Core compatible metadata.
tDAR is also valuable in the archaeological field because depositing data into their repository helps fulfill NSF and NEH data management plan requirements and can help their users comply with existing Federal regulations in regard to cultural heritage, including “the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), and the regulations…for the management of federal records.” All of these benefits can ensure archaeological projects are complying with the requirements in grant funding and in ensuring they are following the laws put in place to protect cultural and historical sites.
For more detailed information, I highly recommend visiting their site at www.tdar.org/. It’s an exciting and fascinating repository specifically designed for preserving as well as sharing fragile and often-times irreplaceable archaeological data.
And for a bit of humor, what archaeologists do:
Mossy Ramblings 