Rome Wasn't Digitized in a Day - Council on Library and Information ...

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tDAR also stores all resources <strong>in</strong> a preservation format to support stability through long-term
migration. tDAR also provides a range of tools to help archaeologists both map and import their data
sets even if they have limited technical skills. These tools <strong>in</strong>clude Web forms that guide contributors
through a process of metadata entry and the upload<strong>in</strong>g of files (McManamon, K<strong>in</strong>tigh, and Br<strong>in</strong> 2010).
Future development is planned that will expand the range of data and document formats that can be
accepted, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g GIS, CAD, LiDAR, 3-D scans, and remote-sens<strong>in</strong>g data (McManamon and
K<strong>in</strong>tigh 2010), but this <strong>in</strong>clusion is await<strong>in</strong>g the completion of “best-practices” guidel<strong>in</strong>es 238 that are
be<strong>in</strong>g developed <strong>in</strong> collaboration with the ADS. 239
To ensure the long-term preservation of the resources contributed to tDAR, the Digital Antiquity
project has established a number of important procedures, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g check<strong>in</strong>g file <strong>in</strong>tegrity and
correct<strong>in</strong>g deterioration, and migrat<strong>in</strong>g data file formats to new file standards as software and hardware
develop over time (McManamon, K<strong>in</strong>tigh and Br<strong>in</strong> 2010). Their stated goal is to meet the criteria for
trusted digital repositories established by the Onl<strong>in</strong>e Computer Library Center (OCLC) and the Center
for Research Libraries (OCLC-CRL 2007). In addition, the development and test<strong>in</strong>g of the tDAR
prototype <strong>in</strong>volved archaeologists, computer scientists, and librarians, and regular enhancements to
both repository functions and the user <strong>in</strong>terface are planned. “The tDAR software and hardware
choices have been made with flexibility, scal<strong>in</strong>g, and longevity as the primary concerns,”
McManamon, K<strong>in</strong>tigh, and Br<strong>in</strong> expla<strong>in</strong>ed; “<strong>in</strong> addition, tDAR has chosen to use Open Source tools to
the greatest extent possible.” 240
While technical plann<strong>in</strong>g and the use of open-source solutions are important parts of the long-term
preservation of data, the Digital Antiquity project has also made important steps toward organizational
and f<strong>in</strong>ancial susta<strong>in</strong>ability. The Digital Antiquity organization that currently manages tDAR directly
grew out of a multi-<strong>in</strong>stitutional effort 241 that submitted the successful proposal to the Mellon
Foundation. After <strong>in</strong>itial fund<strong>in</strong>g 242 ends, Digital Antiquity plans to use a data-curation model, where
archaeologists or other <strong>in</strong>terested parties will pay fees for the deposit and ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of their data,
which will then be made freely available over the Internet (with desired levels of controlled access
where required). In addition, the organization will transition from an entity supported by Arizona State
University, Mellon and the NSF, to either an <strong>in</strong>dependent nonprofit or to “a unit of an established nonprofit
with compatible goals that can manage Digital Antiquity’s services and data assets <strong>in</strong> the long
term” (McManamon and K<strong>in</strong>tigh 2010). Digital Antiquity staff currently <strong>in</strong>cludes a full-time executive
director and a number of technical and support staff. It is governed by a 12-member board of directors
drawn from the public and private sectors.
Design<strong>in</strong>g Digital Infrastructures for the Research Methods of Archaeology
The basic stages <strong>in</strong> archaeological research have been described as discovery, identification and
attribution, cross-referenc<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>terpretation, and publication (Dunn 2009). In addition, most
archaeological research beg<strong>in</strong>s with site excavation, which produces massive amounts of data. Thus,
research challenges <strong>in</strong> archaeology typically <strong>in</strong>clude organiz<strong>in</strong>g excavation data after the fact and
sophisticated means of data analysis, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g spatial analysis, 3-D model<strong>in</strong>g of sites, and artifact
imag<strong>in</strong>g. Many scholars <strong>in</strong>terviewed <strong>in</strong> the CSHE report also argued for a greater need to l<strong>in</strong>k the
238 http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/g2gp.htm
239 See Mitcham, Niven, and Richards (2010).
240 Further technical detail is provided <strong>in</strong> McManamon, K<strong>in</strong>tigh, and Br<strong>in</strong> (2010), and the entire codebase has been licensed under an Apache 2.0 License.
241 These organizations <strong>in</strong>clude the University of Arkansas, Arizona State University, Pennsylvania State University, the ADS, and Wash<strong>in</strong>gton State
University.
242 The Mellon Foundation has funded Digital Antiquity for a four- to five-year startup period.