Archaeology Data Service
Encyclopedia
The Archaeology Data Service (ADS) is an open access digital archive for archaeological
research outputs. It is located in the The King's Manor, at the University of York
. Originally intended to curate digital outputs from archaeological researchers based in the UK's Higher Education
sector, the ADS also holds archive material created under the auspices of national and local government as well as in the commercial archaeology
sector. The ADS carries out research, most of which focuses on resource discovery, cross-searching and interoperability
with other relevant archives in the UK, Europe
and the United States of America.
(CBA) to put a proposal to the Arts and Humanities Data Service
Executive to establish an Archaeology Data Service. This service was to host a digital archive for archaeologists and to provide advice and guidance to the archaeological community on how to create and manage their digital datasets. As a result the ADS was established at the University of York
Department of Archaeology in September 1996 with two full-time members of staff and under the directorship of Professor Julian Richards. From 1996 until 2008 the ADS hosted AHDS Archaeology
, a subject centre devoted to archaeology funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council
via the AHDS. The AHDS closed in March 2008 as a result of a controversial decision by the AHRC to withdraw funding. The ADS now receives funding directly from AHRC
, rather than through the AHDS, it is also funded by other Higher Education and cultural heritage sector organisations including the European Union
.
The original consortium members were the archaeology departments of the following Universities:
and
The University of Southampton
and University College London
were also involved in early discussions about the formation of a digital archive for archaeological material, and joined the consortium at an early stage.
of the University of Bournemouth.
and Sutton Hoo
. Much of the archive material can be grouped together under 'programme' headings such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
(CTRL) which involved over 100 different archaeological interventions. The ADS acts as the mandated digital archive for archaeological research, of any kind, funded by the AHRC
, and also for English Heritage
administered funds such as the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). The online journal Internet Archaeology
's content is archived by the ADS and a number of journal series from learned societies such as the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
, have older digital versions of their journals
made freely available from the ADS site. The ADS is the largest single source of archived grey literature, with around 4000 examples available in its Library of Unpublished Fieldwork. Access to grey literature in the archaeological context has become a significant concern, especially in academia, in recent years.
All these G2GP were completed by 2003 and do not reflect any changes in archaeology practice or methodology over the last five years. The complete series is being reviewed to include recent changes, this is scheduled to be completed by 2011, this review is being funded in part by English Heritage
and the US based Digital Antiquity project.
's computer services and at the UK Data Archive
in Essex
.
for the national monument inventories of England, Scotland and Wales
(hosted by English Heritage
, the RCAHMS and the RCAHMW) as well as numerous local authority Historic Environment Records HERs. The ADS hosts a number of datasets, such as the Excavation Index, that are made available externally as web services and consumed by English Heritage
's Heritage Gateway search engine.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
research outputs. It is located in the The King's Manor, at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
. Originally intended to curate digital outputs from archaeological researchers based in the UK's Higher Education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
sector, the ADS also holds archive material created under the auspices of national and local government as well as in the commercial archaeology
Commercial archaeology
Commercial archeology is the study of structures and artifacts created in connection with popular commercial activity, such as diners, motels, gasoline stations, and signs, with a focus on commerce and transportation, the effects of market economy and the use of space, and the development of...
sector. The ADS carries out research, most of which focuses on resource discovery, cross-searching and interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
with other relevant archives in the UK, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States of America.
History
In the late 1990s a consensus developed in the field of archaeology that archaeological data in digital form was highly fragile due to both an inadequate understanding of technical threats to its sustainability and the lack of an infrastructure to preserve it in the long term. In April 1996 a consortium comprising eight Departments of Archaeology from UK Universities joined forces with the Council for British ArchaeologyCouncil for British Archaeology
Established in 1944, the is an educational charity working throughout the UK to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations...
(CBA) to put a proposal to the Arts and Humanities Data Service
Arts and Humanities Data Service
The Arts and Humanities Data Service was a United Kingdom national service aiding the discovery, creation and preservation of digital resources in and for research, teaching and learning in the arts and humanities...
Executive to establish an Archaeology Data Service. This service was to host a digital archive for archaeologists and to provide advice and guidance to the archaeological community on how to create and manage their digital datasets. As a result the ADS was established at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
Department of Archaeology in September 1996 with two full-time members of staff and under the directorship of Professor Julian Richards. From 1996 until 2008 the ADS hosted AHDS Archaeology
AHDS Archaeology
AHDS Archaeology was one of the subject centres of the Arts and Humanities Data Service, which closed in March 2008, its role was to support digital research in the arts and humanities in the UK. AHDS Archaeology was hosted by the Archaeology Data Service at York University which continues to be...
, a subject centre devoted to archaeology funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Established in April 2005 as successor to the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the Arts and Humanities Research Council is a British Research Council and non-departmental public body that provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the...
via the AHDS. The AHDS closed in March 2008 as a result of a controversial decision by the AHRC to withdraw funding. The ADS now receives funding directly from AHRC
AHRC
AHRC can refer to:* Asian Human Rights Commission* Arts and Humanities Research Council* Association for the Help of Retarded Children* American Homeowners Resource Center* Australian Human Rights Commission...
, rather than through the AHDS, it is also funded by other Higher Education and cultural heritage sector organisations including the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The original consortium members were the archaeology departments of the following Universities:
- The University of Birmingham
- The University of Bradford
- The University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
- The University of Kent at Canterbury
- The University of LeicesterUniversity of LeicesterThe University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
- The University of Oxford
- The University of Newcastle
- The University of York
and
- The Council for British ArchaeologyCouncil for British ArchaeologyEstablished in 1944, the is an educational charity working throughout the UK to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations...
The University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
and University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
were also involved in early discussions about the formation of a digital archive for archaeological material, and joined the consortium at an early stage.
Governance
The ADS is run on a day to day basis by a director and three managers, however it is managed by a committee meeting bi-annually consisting of representatives of funding bodies, representatives of user communities and the ADS internal Management Group, comprising the Director, Collections Development Manager, User Services Manager, and Systems Manager. The current (2009) Chair of the management committee is Professor Tim DarvillTim Darvill
Timothy Darvill is an English archaeologist and author, best known for his publications on prehistoric Britain and his excavations in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. He is Professor of Archaeology in the School of Applied Sciences at Bournemouth University in England. Timothy Darvill is...
of the University of Bournemouth.
Content
The ADS holds the digital outputs of numerous archaeological excavations or other research activities including some very well known sites such as StonehengeStonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
and Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo, near to Woodbridge, in the English county of Suffolk, is the site of two 6th and early 7th century cemeteries. One contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artefacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British...
. Much of the archive material can be grouped together under 'programme' headings such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
High Speed 1 , officially known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and originally as the Continental Main Line , is a high-speed railway line running from London through Kent to the British end of the Channel Tunnel.The line was built to carry international passenger traffic from the United Kingdom...
(CTRL) which involved over 100 different archaeological interventions. The ADS acts as the mandated digital archive for archaeological research, of any kind, funded by the AHRC
AHRC
AHRC can refer to:* Asian Human Rights Commission* Arts and Humanities Research Council* Association for the Help of Retarded Children* American Homeowners Resource Center* Australian Human Rights Commission...
, and also for English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
administered funds such as the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). The online journal Internet Archaeology
Internet Archaeology
is an international scholarly journal and one of the first fully peer-reviewed electronic journals for archaeology. It published its first issue in 1996. The journal was part of the eLIb project's electronic journals...
's content is archived by the ADS and a number of journal series from learned societies such as the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
, have older digital versions of their journals
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
made freely available from the ADS site. The ADS is the largest single source of archived grey literature, with around 4000 examples available in its Library of Unpublished Fieldwork. Access to grey literature in the archaeological context has become a significant concern, especially in academia, in recent years.
Advice
The ADS offer advice to data creators on procedures and formats, including advice on the writing of Technical Appendices for AHRC applications. The website hosts a series of Guides to Good Practice (G2GP) on the following archaeological topics:- Geographical Information Systems
- Archiving Aerial PhotographyAerial photographyAerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
and Remote SensingRemote sensingRemote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
Data - Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork
- Geophysical DataArchaeological geophysicsGeophysical survey in archaeology most often refers to ground-based physical sensing techniques used for archaeological imaging or mapping. Remote sensing and marine surveys are also used in archaeology, but are generally considered separate disciplines...
in Archaeology - CADComputer-aided designComputer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
- Creating and Using Virtual RealityVirtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
a Guide for the Arts and Humanities
All these G2GP were completed by 2003 and do not reflect any changes in archaeology practice or methodology over the last five years. The complete series is being reviewed to include recent changes, this is scheduled to be completed by 2011, this review is being funded in part by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and the US based Digital Antiquity project.
Procedures
The ADS archive is intended to follow the Open Archival Information System reference model, which is an ISO for data archive systems. There are no constraints on access although users must click a web form to accept the ADS Terms and Conditions, in essence these state that the all copyright is retained by the original data depositor, but they permit its reuse for teaching, learning and research purposes, but not commercial purposes. Off site back-up storage for the ADS archive is held both at the University of YorkUniversity of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
's computer services and at the UK Data Archive
UK Data Archive
The UK Data Archive is a national centre of expertise in data archiving in the United Kingdom . It houses the largest collection of digital data in the social sciences and humanities in the UK....
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Interface
Beyond acting as a simple repository for datasets, the ADS has a number of interactive interfaces into complex archives including database search interfaces, WebGIS and interactive image galleries. The main search mechanism for the ADS catalogue, ArchSearch, contains aggregated resource discovery metadataMetadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
for the national monument inventories of England, Scotland and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(hosted by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, the RCAHMS and the RCAHMW) as well as numerous local authority Historic Environment Records HERs. The ADS hosts a number of datasets, such as the Excavation Index, that are made available externally as web services and consumed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
's Heritage Gateway search engine.
UK based projects
Significant projects undertaken by the ADS in the UK include:- The OASIS project (Online AccesS to the Index of archaeological investigationS) funded by English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and Historic ScotlandHistoric ScotlandHistoric Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
, this project is being expanded to include a C14 extension in collaboration with Historic ScotlandHistoric ScotlandHistoric Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
and the RCAHMS. - England's Rock ArtRock artRock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
a site for the reporting and exploration of prehistoric rock art in the NorthumberlandNorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
area of EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
funded English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and Northumberland County CouncilNorthumberland County CouncilNorthumberland County Council is a unitary authority in North East England. It was originally formed in 1889 as the council for the administrative county of Northumberland and reformed in 1974 to cover a the newly formed non-metropolitan county of Northumberland... - Archaeootools, funded by the JISC-AHRCAHRCAHRC can refer to:* Asian Human Rights Commission* Arts and Humanities Research Council* Association for the Help of Retarded Children* American Homeowners Resource Center* Australian Human Rights Commission...
-EPSRC eScience programme, this project looks at the potential for Natural Language ProcessingNatural language processingNatural language processing is a field of computer science and linguistics concerned with the interactions between computers and human languages; it began as a branch of artificial intelligence....
for harvesting resource discovery metadataMetadataThe term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
from archaeological documentation, and faceted classificationFaceted classificationA faceted classification system allows the assignment of multiple classifications to an object, enabling the classifications to be ordered in multiple ways, rather than in a single, predetermined, taxonomic order. A facet comprises "clearly defined, mutually exclusive, and collectively exhaustive...
as an interface technology into archaeological catalogues. This project is collaboration with the department of Computer ScienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at the University of SheffieldUniversity of SheffieldThe University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
.
European funded projects
Significant EU funded projects include:- Virtual Exploration of Underwater Sites (VENUS), funded by the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) this project looks at the potential for automated photogrammetryPhotogrammetryPhotogrammetry is the practice of determining the geometric properties of objects from photographic images. Photogrammetry is as old as modern photography and can be dated to the mid-nineteenth century....
of maritime archaeologyMaritime archaeologyMaritime archaeology is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains and submerged...
sites including the use of ROVRovRov is a Talmudic concept which means the majority.It is based on the passage in Exodus 23;2: "after the majority to wrest" , which in Rabbinic interpretation means, that you shall accept things as the majority....
's and AUV's - The preparing DARIAH project is funded by the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap, Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). This project is scoping a pan-European digital infrastructure of the Arts and HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
. Under this project the ADS will be extending cross searching of monument inventories in a number of countries, developing an earlier cross-searching project called ARENA. - Archaeology of Contemporary Europe (ACE) is part of the European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
's Culture Programme, among other functions, under this project the ADS is building and hosting a UDDI registry for the Historic Environment Information Resources Network (HEIRNET).
Other international projects
- The ADS is a participant in 'Digital Antiquity' a Mellon funded project as well as the JISC / National Endowment for the Humanities funded project which is intended to investigate data cross-searching and/or interoperabilityInteroperabilityInteroperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
between, for example, individual site zooarchaeologicalZooarchaeologyZooarchaeology, also known as Archaeozoology, is the study of animal remains from archaeological sites. The remains consist primarily of the hard parts of the body such as bones, teeth, and shells...
databases.