December 27, 2017

Workshop on tDAR – January 4

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Finding, Sharing, Accessing, Curating, and Preserving Digital Data and Information: Using tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record)

Archaeology relies heavily on digital data: images, GIS information, analytical and descriptive data sets, recording forms, project reports, etc. Without a well thought-out approach to how these data will be created, shared, utilized, and preserved, important information may be overlooked or lost because it is forgotten, misplaced, or damaged.

In order for archaeological data and information to be discovered, shared, and accessed, Good digital data management requires attention to:

• how data are described (administrative and archaeological metadata);
• dealing with different versions of files as data are added, edited or otherwise refined;
• where and how the data are archived; and
• how data are preserved.

All of these topics relate to the curation of digital data.  Examples from the Center for Digital Antiquity and tDAR will be used to describe practical aspects of good data curation and management.  Procedures, tools, and methods that can be integrated into existing or planned projects to ensure data are prepared for accessibility and long-term preservation when projects are completed will be illustrated.

The workshop is sponsored jointly by the AIA and the Center for Digital Antiquity as part of their memorandum of understanding to support best practices in the care, curation, and management of digital data related to archaeological investigations and resources. Participants who are interested in uploading, at no charge, a document or image to tDAR should bring their computer and a digital copy of the file with them.

The workshop will be presented by Dr. Francis P. McManamon, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Antiquity. Digital Antiquity develops and maintains tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record), an international repository for data and documents related to archaeology and archaeological investigations.

 

The workshop will take place on Thursday, January 4, 2018 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Suffolk Room on the 3rd floor of the Boston Marriott Copley Place, 110 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116. Join us afterwards for the kick-off of the Joint AIA/SCS Annual Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Marriott with the Public Lecture presented by Dr. John Papadopoulos. Both events are free and open to the public. For information on how to register for this year’s Annual Meeting, visit: https://www.archaeological.org/meeting/registration.