Gazz
New Member
Posts:0
 | | 25 Apr 2008 09:00 PM | | Is archaeological data successfully being transfered to the Archaeological Data Service (ADS)?
The ADS is an organisation which maintains digital data for the future, helping to avoid the loss of data through the constant updating of the archives.
Do you deposit data here? Do you want to deposit data here? Have you ever heard of this data?
Your thoughts please
Also look at www.ads.ac.uk for more info
Gary | | | |
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Baldlygo
New Member
Posts:60
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SteveW
Advanced Member
Posts:662
| | 25 Apr 2008 09:02 PM | | | Gary -
I can't comment on whether archaeological data is being successfully transferred to ADS, but I can say that I've searched the ADS database on many occasion looking for good data. The search always ended in frustration because it promises so much, but delivers very little reusable data.
The ADS to me has been a flagship for data standards but I can't help thinking that their strategy needs a review. For example, a lot of things have happened in the web world over the last few years, allowing for service-level data exchange. I haven't seen or heard of the ADS implementing web services (licenced or not) to share with the outside world. I'm not even sure if all the data that ADS hold has been collected under copyright and therefore can only be shared in this manner within copyright.
Personally, I think UK archaeology is suffering from a lack of technical and strategic thinking as regards depositing, maintaining and sharing data. I'm not saying what the ADS do isn't positive, I just think that if the data that they hold is not in copyright and is in the public domain, then they should open the data via web services. Many new spatial standards have emerged recently - GeoRSS, KML, Midas XML - and I think they could take advantage of them.
Steve White | | | |
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Gazz
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| | 25 Apr 2008 09:02 PM | | | I've just looked closer at the ADS and its pricing it charges £25 per file followed by a 50p fee per MB to be curated - now surely it should be one or the other! Oxford Archaeology curated a project at a cost over £6000 - however the budget was £540,000.
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/userinfo/charging.html
Now I've worked in small archaeological units, they can hardly afford GIS software and the personel, how can they be expected to front this cost as well? And if they pass this cost through to the developers then it is likely that they will lose business as they are undercut! - A double edged sword?
So how could this be addressed? Through HERs - perhaps?
I heard HERs are set to become compulsary (after a white paper) could digital file be handed to them and then passed on to the ADS?
Again MONEY seems to be the big problem
Your thoughts?
Gary
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AntArch
New Member
Posts:19
| | 25 Apr 2008 09:02 PM | | I believe it's cheap/free if you have funding from a research council.
I bought the bias between contract and academic archaeology up with the ADS a lot in the early stages but they didn't seem to want to listen. Hence, there is little contract data and what there is only seem to be there because of some ADS funded project (OASIS or DAPPER... can't remember). Things may have changed but I doubt it. I can't really see contract units writing ADS submission into their briefs unless the planning authorities insist that they do this (stop laughing at the back of the class!).
I also have issues with the quality of some (maybe all.... haven't looked at it in a long while) of the data that's in the catalogue. There has to be a big difference between using the ADS as a dumping ground and really ensuring that re-use of high quality digital data can occur.
Maybe I shouldn't have said any of those things as I get the impression that the ADS don't seem to like me ooops
Ant
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Gazz
New Member
Posts:0
| | 25 Apr 2008 09:02 PM | | | Ant, i agree the ADS is a good idea (academically) but in the contract world GIS is just being picked up and the danger of all this digital work ending up on a CD in some old shoe box for decades, then someone will moan that the data isn't accessible or damaged! And what happens if/when the unit goes under?
urely the contractual side need an organised and systematic 'dumping ground' of at least the raw data (total station points/DEMs/maps) which can be used as a basis for any study.
I think your right, its in the hands of the planning authorities, they are becoming more digital friendly, at least in some asspects, many now log archaeological investigations through OASIS.
Maybe we have to be patient and work through the back log later! How ever this will become a serious problem in the next 10 years! | | | |
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