Being Formal and Flexible: Semantic Wiki as an Archaeological e-Science Infrastructure

Submitted by Isto Huvila on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 07:56

Publication Type:

Conference Paper

Authors:

Isto Huvila

Source:

Revive the Past: Proceeding of the 39th Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, Beijing, 12-16 April 2011, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, p.186–197 (2012)

URL:

http://dare.uva.nl/aup/nl/record/412958

Keywords:

archaeology, Documentation, information management, Linked Data, semantic web, semantic wiki

Abstract:

The multiple challenges of representing archaeological information both using relational databases and semantic web technologies have been acknowledged in the literature. The present paper discusses findings and observations from an action research study on developing an integrated semantic digital data archive and collaboration platform for archaeological and archaeology related research using a semantic wiki based approach. The observations and findings from the project demonstrate that the discussed approach provides means to address some of the problems related to pre-coordinated formal representation of archaeological knowledge. At the same, the study stresses the importance of a full understanding of the implications of the both old and new systems of knowledge representation. Otherwise the new systems may introduce implicit infrastructural bias comparable to the ones addressed by the novel approach.

Body: 

Archaeology and Archaeological Information in the Digital Society shows how the digitization of archaeological information, tools and workflows, and their interplay with both old and new non-digital practices throughout the archaeological information process, affect the outcomes of archaeological work, and in the end, our general understanding of the human past.

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COST-ARKWORK is a network funded by the COST scheme that brings together the multidisciplinary work of researchers of archaeological practices in the field of archaeological knowledge production and use. The aim of the network is to make a major push forward in the current state-of-the-art in knowing how archaeological knowledge is produced, how it is used and how to maximise its positive impact in the society.

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CApturing Paradata for documenTing data creation and Use for the REsearch of the future (CAPTURE) investigates what information about the creation and use of research data that is paradata) is needed and how to capture enough of that information to make the data reusable in the future. 

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