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Digital Data and Archaeology:

Management, Preservation and Publishing

Dr Katie Greenkatie.green@york.ac.uk

Digital Data and the Archaeological Record

Digital Data and the Archaeological Record

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• Digital Data and Archaeology

• Digital Data Challenges

• Case studies of bad practice

• Importance of data management and preservation

Outline

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• Archaeology is destructive

• Comprehensive records of field work are imperative

Archaeology

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• Published data is limited

• Majority of data recorded in grey literature

• Data is not easily searchable

• Assess to data is difficult

• Move from large data rich publications to slim syntheses

Archaeological Data

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Digital Data and the Archaeological Record

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• Easier to create• Easier to update • Easier to access

Born Data - data created in digital format

Digitised Data - hardcopy converted to digital format

Digital Data

Image © www.digitalbevaring.dk

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© Buch Edition

Digital Data and the Archaeological Record

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Software (noted more than once)

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

• Lots of formats

Software used by archaeologists(identified more than once)

Big Data Project

Digital Data and the Archaeological Record

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Software (noted more than once)

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

• Lots of formats

• Become out

of date rapidly

Software used by archaeologists(identified more than once)

Big Data Project

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My lithics report is here, on floppy disc

Digital Data and the Archaeological Record

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But Fragile!

• Digital data is encoded• Digital data requires

software and technology to present content

Digital Data• Easier to create• Easier to update • Easier to access

software and technology

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Why is Digital Data Fragile?

Data Management

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Why is Digital Data Fragile?

• Deterioration of the storage medium

– Degrade – Bit rot!

– Can be easily damaged

– Can be easily overwritten

Preservation problems

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Case Study: NASA – again!

Data Management

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Case Study: NASA – again!

Copied over the Moon Landing tapes

Data Management

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Why is Digital Data Fragile?

• Deterioration of the storage medium

• Obsolescence of the software

Preservation problems

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• NASA sent two Viking Landers to Mars in 1975

• Data recorded on magnetic tape

• Climate controlled environment

Photos: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

Case Study: NASA

Data Management

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• 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

Case Study: NASA

Data Management

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Software (noted more than once)

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

• Lots of formats

• Become out

of date rapidly

Software used by archaeologists(identified more than once)

Big Data Project

Preservation problems

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Why is Digital Data Fragile?

• Deterioration of the storage medium

• Obsolescence of the software

• Obsolescence of the storage medium

Preservation problems

5.25" Floppy

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8" Floppy

3.5" 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 CardIBM 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

Media Types

• Experience rapid change

Preservation problems

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Why is Digital Data Fragile?

• Deterioration of the storage medium

• Obsolescence of the software

• Obsolescence of the storage medium

• Obsolescence of the hardware

5.25" Floppy

Preservation problems

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Technology• Hardware experiences rapid change

Preservation problems

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• 1986

• photographs, maps, etc

• 30cm laserdiscs

• BBC Microcomputers

© The National Archives,

Catalogue reference:

E 31/2/2 f.238ahttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/story

Case Study: BBC Domesday Project

Data Management

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• 1986

• photographs, maps, etc

• 30cm laserdiscs

• BBC Microcomputers

• In 2006 the laserdiscs were obsolete as was the hardware

• Rescue projects launched by The National Archives and Leeds University

© The National Archives,

Catalogue reference:

E 31/2/2 f.238ahttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/story

Case Study: BBC Domesday Project

Data Management

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Why is Digital Data Fragile?

• Deterioration of the storage medium

• Obsolescence of the software

• Obsolescence of the storage medium

• Obsolescence of the hardware

• Failure to document data adequately

5.25" Floppy

Preservation problems

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Case Study: Newham Museum Archaeological Service

Archive:• approx. 150 excavations

• 6432 individual files

• 1500 excavation reports

• 700 database files

• 1200 geophysics files

• 200 separate projects

Data Management

Image © www.digitalbevaring.dk

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Case Study: Newham Museum Archaeological Service

Problems:

• No data structure

• No file naming standards

• No metadata

• No data documentation at all

Data Management

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Case Study: Silbury Hill

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/blog/2013/08/jenny-ryders-day-of-archaeology-at-the-ads-a-silbury-hill-update/

Data Management

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Case Study: Newham Museum Archaeological Service

Data Management

Lessons Learnt:• Regular software migration needed

• Robust data documentation down to file level

needed

• Need to plan for re-use

• Forward planning is much cheaper

• Data management strategy required

Image © www.digitalbevaring.dk

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Digital Data

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

(Jeff Rothenberg, RAND Corp., 1997)

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2,000 years in the making

3 days to record

Backed up in 10 seconds

Lost forever?

How can we prevent this?

Archaeological Data

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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

GOOD DATA MANAGEMENT IS ESSENTIAL

© Digital Preservation Business Case Toolkit