Hiding in plain sight: Understanding data reuse at the Archaeology Data Service

KL Seaton is currently a doctoral student at the University of York studying the use and reuse of digital archaeological data. Using the Archaeology Data Service as a case study, the fragmented landscape of data reuse is being examined to challenge current assumptions that archaeological data is not being reused.

Abstract

In the current research landscape, there is an emphasis on ensuring that digital data is made openly available so others can use it. The European Union has spent more than a decade investing in the aggregation and interoperability of heritage data, ensuring that data can be accessed and used. Despite this investment, current perceptions are that archaeological data is not being reused.

Using the Archaeology Data Service as a case study has demonstrated that archaeological data is being reused, just not in the way we expected. This presentation will present a comprehensive analysis of the available evidence of the reuse of archaeological data archived with the ADS, providing the quantitative data that has been lacking in the current critiques of our practice.

This online event is organised by the TETRARCHs project, made possible by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) & CHANSE, Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe. Further details and Zoom registration are via the booking link above.

TETRARCHs (Transforming Data Reuse in Archaeology), an international research project, aims to make archaeological data (from excavations and post-excavation research) accessible to a wide range of people, so that the data can be used and reused for educational, creative and other life-enriching purposes. For this reason, the project team will work collaboratively across a range of communities to come up with ways in which data use and reuse can be made easier for cultural heritage storytelling.