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Enabling
the Study of Long-Term Human and Social Dynamics:
A Cyberinfrastructure for Archaeology
2004 National Science Foundation, Human Social Dynamics Grant 0433959
Faunal Working Group
The fauna working group will focus on a subset of faunal data, large mammals, that is associated with interesting research issues (e.g., habitat change, over-hunting, introduction of European fauna, and social dimensions of the distribution of food). This group includes archaeologists with internationally recognized expertise in the analysis of archeo-fauna and computer scientists concerned with data integration who will immerse themselves in this limited problem domain.
In a three-day meeting this group will develop an ontology (set of well-defined terms and concepts) and a specification of the categories of metadata that are needed to permit the integration of individual datasets through a mapping of original data categories onto the ontology. (For example, what do we need to know, i.e., what metadata are necessary, to meaningfully integrate samples with differing preservation conditions, collection strategies, and fragmentation rates.)
Following the meeting, the draft ontology and metadata specification will be implemented by the computer scientists in consultation with Spielmann and email consultation with other group members. At least three sample datasets of large mammals (for different areas in which group members work, e.g., the Southwest, Great Basin, and Southeast) will be documented according to the draft metadata standards. These datasets will be entered in a unified data archive using a common, base schema. A limited, sample application will use this data archive to illustrate the feasibility of aspects of the proposed data integration model.
This working group will reconvene in Tempe for three days in mid-Spring 2005 to assess the draft ontology and the adequacy of the metadata, and to evaluate the application. The ontology and metadata standards will be revised, and following the meeting the computer scientists will refine the application. At this point, the ontology and metadata specification (for this fragment of the archaeological faunal domain) will be posted on the web and otherwise disseminated. A half-time RA in computer science and another in archaeology will work together to assemble the data, work through the metadata documentation of the sample data sets, move the datasets into the data archive using a standard schema, and work on the sample application.
Working Group Members
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 0433959 and 0624341. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Page Last Updated - 01-May-2008