Data Integration in the Service of Synthetic Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith W. Kintigh ◽  
Katherine A. Spielmann ◽  
Adam Brin ◽  
K. Selçuk Candan ◽  
Tiffany C. Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Integration ◽  
General Procedure ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Digital Repository ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Integration Procedure ◽  
Archaeological Data

ABSTRACTAddressing archaeology's most compelling substantive challenges requires synthetic research that exploits the large and rapidly expanding corpus of systematically collected archaeological data. That, in turn, requires a means of combining datasets that employ different systematics in their recording while at the same time preserving the semantics of the data. To that end, we have developed a general procedure that we call query-driven, on-the-fly data integration that is deployed within the Digital Archaeological Record digital repository. The integration procedure employs ontologies that are mapped to the original datasets. Integration of the ontology-based dataset representations is done at the time the query is executed, based on the specific content of the query. In this way, the original data are preserved, and data are aggregated only to the extent necessary to obtain semantic comparability. Our presentation draws examples from the largest application to date: an effort by a research community of Southwest US faunal analysts. Using 24 ontologies developed to cover a broad range of observed faunal variables, we integrate faunal data from 33 sites across the late prehistoric northern Southwest, including about 300,000 individually recorded faunal specimens.

scholarly journals More Perspectives on the Late Prehistoric Site of Qiryat Ata

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 307-319
Author(s):  
Amir Golani
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
History Of

In a recent SAAC article, Eliot Braun (2012) has published a critique of my excavations at the late prehistoric site of Qiryat Ata. Reexamination of a site’s stratigraphy and reinterpretation of archaeological data are welcome, if their purpose is to truly enhance our understanding of the history of the site and thus gain a better understanding of the archaeological periods of its occupation. Such a reevaluation should be based on factual evidence, exacting analysis and the realization that even the same data can and is open to different interpretation. Reexamination of the data would strive to offer accurate and useful conclusions that could substantially augment our perception of the archaeological record and be a catalyst for future research and fruitful collegial discussion among scholars.The purpose of the following is to address the claims and allegations raised by Braun in his article. While some points of Braun’s critique may have their merit and provide a future basis for discussion, examination of his major points shows them to be basically unfounded.

Beyond the Archive

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ixchel M. Faniel ◽  
Anne Austin ◽  
Eric Kansa ◽  
Sarah Whitcher Kansa ◽  
Phoebe France ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Data Reuse ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Digital Repository ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Archaeological Data

ABSTRACTThis article presents research on archaeological data creation and management practices at two excavations in Europe in order to gain a better understanding of how to align these practices with the data reuse needs of a broader research community. The Secret Life of Data project follows the life cycle of data from the field to the digital repository to better understand opportunities and challenges in data interpretation, publication, and preservation. Our “Slow Data” approach focuses not on maximizing the speed and quantity of data but, rather, on emphasizing curation, contextualization, communication, and broader understanding. Through a mixed-methods approach of interviews, field observations, and excavation data assessments, we recommended changes (both technical and organizational) to improve data creation and management practices. We report our findings and offer readers guidance on streamlining data collection for reuse during excavation.

scholarly journals Cultural Transform di Situs Benteng Putri Hijau

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (27) ◽  
pp. 165-178
Author(s):  
Stanov Purnawibowo
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
The Past

AbstractArchaeology not only describing about the past, but also present. The form of cultural transformation process which describe the process of archaeological record disposition in the post-depositoanal factors, one of example form describe from present. Cultural transformation of archaeological record was found in Benteng Putri Hijau site. Precipitation position of archaeological data and stratigraphy can give information about cultural transformation data and contexts remain found in archaeological deposition.

Abandonment and Post-Abandonment Behavior at a Rural Central American House-Site

1972 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick W. Lange ◽  
Charles R. Rydberg
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Central American ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Archaeological Investigation ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
House Site ◽  
American House

AbstractExamination of a recently abandoned modern rural house-site in northern Costa Rica was undertaken in an attempt to gain insights into the absence of comparable sites from the Precolumbian archaeological record. The site was thoroughly described, a number of hypotheses based on artifactual evidence were advanced, and the former occupants were then interviewed. Abandonment and post-abandonment behavior by the occupants and others stongly influenced the material culture remains and potential archaeological data. The site had been subjected to a number of alterations and artifacts found were of the lowest retentive priority. A number of problems relevant to archaeological investigation at such sites were elucidated.

scholarly journals Insider–outsider representation and social democratic labor market policy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reto Bürgisser ◽  
Thomas Kurer
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Partisan Politics ◽  
Market Reforms ◽  
Labor Market Policy ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
Market Policy ◽  
Labor Market Reforms

AbstractPostindustrialization and occupational change considerably complicate partisan politics of the welfare state. This article asks about the determinants of contemporary social democratic labor market policy. We argue that the composition of their support base is a critical constraint and empirically demonstrate that the actual electoral clout of different voter segments decisively affects policy outcomes under left government. We calculate the electoral relevance of two crucial subgroups of the social democratic coalition, labor market insiders and outsiders, in 19 European democracies and combine these indicators with original data capturing the specific content of labor market reforms. The analysis reveals considerable levels of responsiveness and demonstrates that relative electoral relevance is consistently related to policy outcomes. Social democratic governments with a stronger support base among the atypically employed push labor market reforms on their behalf—and vice versa. Our findings have important implications for our understanding of policy-making in postindustrial societies.

Bear's Journey and the Study of Ritual in Archaeology

2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan C. L. Howey ◽  
John M. O'Shea
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Great Lakes Region ◽  
Ritual Practice ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Ritual Performance ◽  
Northern Michigan

This paper considers the archaeological study of ritual and explores the interrelationships that exist between ideologically meaningful accounts of ritual and the material representations of ritual practice that remain for archaeological evaluation. Specifically, the paper addresses the development and antiquity of the Midewiwin ritual, a ceremonial complex that is known historically throughout the Great Lakes region. The serendipitous discovery of a linkage between the Mide origin tale of Bear's Journey and the layout of the Late Prehistoric earthwork enclosures of northern Michigan provides an opportunity to document how a ritual system is represented in the archaeological record and to evaluate how the understanding of the archaeology is altered by having access to the meaning underpinning the ritual performance. The research provides unambiguous evidence for the prehistoric antiquity of the Mide ceremony and illustrates the contribution archaeology can make to understanding the long-term processes of ritual practice and change.

Smudge Pits and Hide Smoking: The Use of Analogy in Archaeological Reasoning

1967 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis R. Binford
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Behavioral Context ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIt is argued that as a scientist one does not justifiably employ analogies to ethnographic observations for the "interpretation" of archaeological data. Instead, analogies should be documented and used as the basis for offering a postulate as to the relationship between archaeological forms and their behavioral context in the past. Such a postulate should then serve as the foundation of a series of deductively drawn hypotheses which, on testing, can refute or tend to confirm the postulate offered. Analogy should serve to provoke new questions about order in the archaeological record and should serve to prompt more searching investigations rather than being viewed as a means for offering "interpretations" which then serve as the "data" for synthesis. This argument is made demonstratively through the presentation of formal data on a class of archaeological features, "smudge pits," and the documentation of their positive analogy with pits as facilities used in smoking hides.

The Promise and Challenge of Archaeological Data Integration

2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 567-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Kintigh
Keyword(s):  
Data Integration ◽  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Information Infrastructure ◽  
Structured Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
National Science ◽  
Disparate Data ◽  
Legacy Data

This forum reports the results of a National Science Foundation—funded workshop that focused on the integration and preservation of digital databases and other structured data derived from archaeological contexts. The workshop concluded that for archaeology to achieve its potential to advance long-term, scientific understandings of human history, there is a pressing need for an archaeological information infrastructure that will allow us to archive, access, integrate, and mine disparate data sets. This report provides an assessment of the informatics needs of archaeology, articulates an ambitious vision for a distributed disciplinary information infrastructure (cyberinfrastructure), discusses the challenges posed by its development, and outlines initial steps toward its realization. Finally, it argues that such a cyberinfrastructure has enormous potential to contribute to anthropology and science more generally. Concept-oriented archaeological data integration will enable the use of existing data to answer compelling new questions and permit syntheses of archaeological data that rely not on other investigators' conclusions but on analyses of meaningfully integrated new and legacy data sets.

scholarly journals Assessing value of biomedical digital repositories

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Nan Hsu ◽  
Anita Bandrowski ◽  
Jeffrey S. Grethe ◽  
Maryann E. Martone
Keyword(s):  
Research Community ◽  
Digital Repository ◽  
Digital Repositories ◽  
Data Citation ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
Quality Aspects ◽  
Resource Identification ◽  
Citation Practices ◽  
Information Framework ◽  
Neuroscience Information Framework

Digital repositories bring direct impact and influence on the research community and society but measuring their value using formal metrics remains challenging. their value. It is challenging to define a single perfect metric that covers all quality aspects. Here, we distinguish here between impact and influence and discuss measures and mentions as the basis of quality metrics of a digital repository. We argue that these challenges may potentially be overcome through the introduction of standard resource identification and data citation practices. We briefly summarize our research and experience in the Neuroscience Information Framework, the BD2K BioCaddie project on data citation, and the Resource Identification Initiative. Full implementation of these standards will depend on cooperation from all stakeholders --- digital repositories, authors, publishers, and funding agencies, but both resource and data citation have been gaining support with researchers and publishers.

scholarly journals Digital Archaeological Archiving in Sweden: the Swedish National Data Service perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Jakobsson
Keyword(s):  
Original Data ◽  
Data Service ◽  
National Data ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
The Past ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
Mandatory Requirement ◽  
Data Files ◽  
Past Data ◽  
Service Perspective

In the past, data from archaeological investigations, as well as research projects led by universities have not been archived or made publicly accessible. Synthetic publications such as papers, reports and articles have been available, but not the underlying data files containing the original data to be reused or combined with new/other datasets for further research. Archaeological investigations are regulated within Sweden, but it has only recently been possible for that data to be preserved and disseminated in a more streamlined way. The mandatory requirement to archive research data at universities is often not enforced, resulting in a loss of data that is very problematic. This is now slowly changing owing to requirements from both governmental bodies and funding agencies, and therefore the future of archaeological data in Sweden looks a bit brighter.

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