Cutting-edge archaeological field research requires digitally-based recording methods to facilitate rapid, cost-effective data acquisition. These data must be stored in robust, organised, searchable databases to facilitate analyses, publication and research.

To date there is no mechanism to make data available in a ‘grid environment’ for wider access which is critical to facilitate and automate many basic data management processes. ‘Data grids’ can provide these functions by providing infrastructure and tools needed to facilitate discovery and analysis, and long-term preservation of data. 

Digital Collections

Based on our experience in developing data grids for the physical sciences, we are developing a digital collection for the social sciences and humanities communities. Our test cases come from two Queensland archaeological projects (one of these is the Mill Point Archaeological Project, located in the Great Sandy National Park in southeast Queensland). The Australian archaeology digital collection is using demonstrated grid software applications and standards: the Storage Resource Broker, Globus and XML.

SRB Deployment

The SRB is being used in order to connect a variety of different file systems (Linux, Windows etc) and storage resources, as well as to enable queries of SRB-enabled distributed databases. This will ensure maximum access to the data in the collection.

Metadata Creation

In order to integrate the collected data with the SRB, a metadata catalog (MCAT) has been developed for the data collected so far. It will also be used for streaming data.

Figure 1. Query form to serach metadata

 Figure 2. Query results form SRB

Figure 3. Information about one artefact

As well as funding from QCIF, this project was the subject of a grant from the University of Queensland, as well as a 2005 Special Research Initiative grant from the Australian Research Council.

For more information visit the e-Archaeology webpage on the Vislab website.

Participants

Nicole Bordes, Terry Simmich, Bernard Pailthorpe
Vislab,University of Queensland

Sean Ulm
Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Studies Unit, University of Queensland

Publications

Bordes, N., S. Ulm, O. Pettersen, K. Murphy, D. Gwynne, W. Pagnon, S. Hungerford, P. Hiscock, J. Hall and B. Pailthorpe.

Data grid for the management, reconstruction, analysis and visualisation of archaeological data. In S. Ulm and I. Lilley (eds), An Archaeological Life: Papers in Honour of Jay Hall, pp.251-264. Research Report Series 7. Brisbane: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, University of Queensland (2006).

Bordes, N., Ulm, S. et al., 2006.  "Towards an Australian Archaeological Data Grid". Submitted to Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (2006).