2. Current Archiving Provision and Initiatives: An Overview#
Digital archiving good practice requires the development of an archiving strategy from the very beginning, the implementation of short-term security measures whilst data is still being worked upon, thorough documentation, and the consideration of long-term preservation strategies. Such long-term strategies should include secure data storage alongside data refreshment and data migration i.e. the movement of data from one file format or storage medium to another to keep pace with changing technology. Consideration of file formats from the outset is key with certain formats creating significant barriers to long-term preservation and, importantly, data reuse.
A project cannot be said to have been completed until the archive has been transferred successfully and is stored in one or more repositories that maintain proper standards of care and accessibility (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists 2008). Moving beyond just storage, the article ‘FAIR Principles of scientific data management and stewardship’ (Wilkinson et al. 2016) encapsulates what both heritage and science sectors wish to see by way of improvements to the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Re-use (FAIR) of digital assets. The article emphasises metadata and machine actionability as the direction of travel for archive creation and storage, recognising that computational support will increasingly be needed to deal with the volume, complexity, and speed at which data is being created – a reminder that we all need to keep an eye to the future in what we are generating today.
Simple ways to get started are:
create a Digital Data Management Plan (DMP) as part of the project proposal so that data selection and archiving issues are fully understood and planned for. Templates for DMPs are available from various organisations such as CIfA (Dig Digital Tookit) and the Digital Curation Centre’s DMPonline service.
plan to deposit data in a repository to ensure that it is available long term, using formats that can be widely accessed and that allow data sets to be easily reused. Incorporate guidance from the target repository into the DMP.
Identify metadata requirements early and retain documentation from the outset.
cite your data acknowledging its value to others and building on previous published research as part of the publication process. Create a data availability statement for related publications and include permanent identifiers such as DOIs to provide robust links between data and publication.
As Trusted Digital Repositories both the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES), together with the Royal Commission on the Ancient Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), form part of the Marine Environment Data Information Network (MEDIN) Historic Environment Data Archive Centres (DACs). MEDIN is a partnership of UK organisations committed to improving access to UK marine data across a broad range of marine industries. The network of seven MEDIN Data Archive Centres (DACs) works together to secure the long-term preservation of key marine data sets in line with best practice and relevant standards and promote access and reuse of that data. As well as the Historic Environment, the DACs are responsible for Water Column Oceanography, Flora, Fauna and Habitat, Fisheries, Geology and Geophysics Meteorology and Bathymetry. Good data stewardship and shared data standards raises awareness of the marine environment enabling more informed research and better consideration of the marine historic environment in offshore developments.
ADS, HES, and the RCAHMW all hold a broad range of digital data sets and commit to preserving these for the long term. Data held by these DACs can include site specific project archives containing final reports, interpretated data; scientific analysis/specialist reports; native, navigationally corrected and fully processed data; digital images; digital video, and digital products such as 3D models.
These three Data Archiving Centres can be contacted directly for archiving advice and for deposition. In addition, investigations in the UK marine environment should be recorded in OASIS, the online system for reporting investigations to the regional Historic Environment Records as well the national marine historic environment Data Archiving Centres.
The stipulations of the funding body or the marine licence may direct the archiving process towards a particular organisation. UK projects with a marine component will require a MEDIN Metadata record to enable their existence to be flagged to the widest range of marine data users via the MEDIN portal. By default, records created in OASIS are transferred to the MEDIN metadata portal.
The nature of some marine survey data types suggest that it may be appropriate for the data to be submitted to alternative Data Archiving Centres. Such data can then contribute to wider projects including national seabed mapping programmes, climate change modelling, and marine biodiversity research.
If project data includes various elements of interest to the DACs below, MEDIN may be able to advise on which centre would be most suitable:
Organisation |
Focus of Collections |
Data Types |
|---|---|---|
Seabed and sub-seabed geological and geophysical data. |
Navigational corrected, final processed data - side-scan sonar, magnetometer, multi-beam echosounder back scatter, sub-bottom profiler, plus seabed grab samples and cores with their associated logs; Cruise reports |
|
Bathymetry |
Navigational corrected, final processed - single and multi-beam echo sounder |
|
Flora, Fish and Habitat |
Ecological survey –scales, images, video featuring flora and fauna; presence and abundance SACFOR scale; information/sighting added to the National Biodiversity Network |
|
Water column oceanography (e.g. salinity, temperature, tidal flows, acidity) |
Outputs from instruments likely to be ASCII formats, cruise reports |
|
Surveys and reports resulting from EA process from seabed licences and offshore development control |
Survey data collected on behalf of developer Environmental Impact Assessment historic environment chapters; desk -based assessments, evaluation reports; mitigation reports |