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ARIADNE is funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme Overview Kate Fernie

Ariadne overview

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Page 1: Ariadne overview

ARIADNE is funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme

Overview

Kate Fernie

Page 2: Ariadne overview

• ARIADNE• Introductions• Digital data in

archaeology• Why preserving data is

important

Overview

Page 3: Ariadne 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

Page 4: Ariadne overview

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.

Page 5: Ariadne overview

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

Page 6: Ariadne overview

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

Page 7: Ariadne overview

Storing digital data

A lot of data is being created, where is it stored?

Page 8: Ariadne overview

Where researchers store data

PARSE.Insight survey 2009: 1202 respondents from different research domains and countries

Page 9: Ariadne overview

“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

Page 10: Ariadne overview

“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

Page 11: Ariadne overview

What’s on your hard drive?

• Research data

• Unpublished excavation and survey reports

• Project proposals

• Published reports

Do you have any back up?

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Warning! • Digital data is fragile• Digital data is encoded and requires software

and technology to present content

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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

Page 14: Ariadne overview

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

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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

Page 16: Ariadne overview

Hardware becomes obsolete

Page 17: Ariadne overview

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

Page 18: Ariadne overview

Why digital data is fragile• Storage media deterioration• Storage media obsolescence• Software obsolescence• Hardware obsolescence• Poor documentation

5.25" Floppy

Page 19: Ariadne overview

Copied over the Moon Landing tapes

What can happen…

Page 20: Ariadne overview

• 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…

Page 21: Ariadne overview

• 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

Page 22: Ariadne overview

• 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

Page 23: Ariadne overview
Page 24: Ariadne overview

"Digital information lasts forever - or five years, whichever comes first."

(Jeff Rothenberg, RAND Corp., 1997)

Page 25: Ariadne overview

• “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

Page 26: Ariadne overview

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

Page 27: Ariadne overview

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

Page 28: Ariadne overview

“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”

Page 29: Ariadne overview

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

Page 30: Ariadne overview

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

Page 31: Ariadne overview

• 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

Page 32: Ariadne overview

• 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

Page 33: Ariadne overview

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

Page 34: Ariadne overview

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

Page 35: Ariadne overview

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.