Modelling Space-Time Uncertainty in Archaeological Excavation Information: From Relational Databases to Semantically Rich Graphs. 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2027

Abstract

When archaeologists dig, they encounter questions tied to materials, events, and people, among others. Understanding where and when things took place is paramount to answering these questions, but this process is often riddled with uncertainties. These uncertainties, which this project terms "Uncertainty across Space and Time Encountered during Archaeological Excavations" (USTEAE), can sometimes be misrecorded or overlooked in archaeological databases. To address this, this project is exploring the potential of "semantically rich property graphs" to better capture and depict these uncertainties. By incorporating these graphs into heritage databases, the aim is to enhance the representation of USTEAE. Another objective is to refine existing heritage data modelling standards, such as the CIDOC-CRM, to more accurately express these uncertainties. The ultimate goal is to improve the management of archaeological and heritage sites and offer more nuanced data analysis, especially in the face of challenges like climate change, which introduce additional layers of uncertainty to archaeological and heritage fieldwork.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project