Development of a research data centre for archaeology and ancient studies (IANUS)

没有什么能像几十年前开始影响学术工作的数字革命那样改变考古学和古代研究。新的方法不仅为旧问题提供了新的答案，而且在很大程度上有助于更全面地理解和评估古代文化。然而，这种创新和前瞻性的可能性也带来了一些传统的古代研究和考古没有准备好的挑战。以一种对源至关重要但仍然实用的方式处理大量信息必须几乎从头开始发明。技术和语义不同的数字研究数据通常记录非常独特的内容，不能复制。与此同时，将这些数据用于未来用途的毅力通常也岌岌可危。因此，有必要建立一个数据中心，以永久和可靠地管理这些数据，保证其实物保存，提供免费访问，改进今后的再利用，并促进跨越国界、院系、机构和系统的国家和国际交流。建立所需的专业基础设施框架，并由古代研究中的各个学科提供支持，是“Ianus研究数据中心考古和古代研究项目”的目标。在第一个项目阶段，建立了一个作为核心里程碑的总体概念，进行了需求评估，并访问了具有类似职能的机构。根据所取得的成果，第二阶段将致力于以实用的方式实施必要的组成部分。这将包括开发一个生产系统、确定学术数据管理的工作流程及其在实际项目数据中的应用、与技术基础设施签订保存比特流的合同、具体说明业务模式和制定法律形式、实施参考目录、继续与在线门户网站进行交流和监测信息技术建议。到第二项目阶段结束时，IANUS应能够对数据进行专业的长期存档，以便数据所有者可以将这些数据用于存档目的，感兴趣的各方可以通过网站和其他门户网站进行研究和下载。

Nothing has changed archaeology and the ancient studies in a similar way as the digital revolution which started to influence academic work a few decades ago. The new methods do not only offer new answers to old questions, but also contribute largely to a more comprehensive understanding and evaluation of ancient cultures. Nonetheless, the innovative and forward-looking possibilities also entail some challenges for which the traditional ancient studies and archaeologies are not prepared. Handling huge amounts of information in a source-critical, but still practical manner has to be invented almost from scratch. Technically and semantically heterogeneous digital research data usually document very unique contents that is not open to reproduction. At the same time, the perseverance of this data for future use is generally at stake. Therefore a data centre is necessary to permanently and reliably curate this data, to warrant for its physical conservation, to offer free access to the same, to improve subsequent re-use in the future and to facilitate a national and international exchange across borders, faculties, institutions and systems. Setting-up the required specialist infrastructural skeleton that is supported by the various disciplines in ancient studies is the object of the "IANUS research data centre archaeology & ancient studies project. During the first project phase an overall concept was created as the core milestone, a needs assessment was carried out and institutions with similar functions were visited. Based on the results obtained, the second phase will be dedicated to implement the necessary components in a functional manner. This will include developing a production system, defining workflows for the academic data curation and their application to real project data, concluding contracts with technical infrastructures for bit stream preservation, specifying a business model and developing a legal form, implementing a reference catalogue, continuing the exchange with the on-line portals and monitoring IT recommendations. By the end of the second project phase, IANUS shall be able to operate the professional long-term archiving of data such that owners of data can transfer these for archiving purposes and interested parties can research and download the same via the website and other portals.