The opportunities afforded by computer technology mean that scholars are now increasingly visualising ways in which digital technology can provide significant advantages to their research. The digitised image allows the scholar to investigate details previously invisible to the naked eye; a database allows the researcher to analyse vast amounts of information that were formerly unmanageable. Funding bodies, such as the Arts and Humanities Research Board, are keen to sponsor research that utilises such technology, but want to ensure that those using a digital component within their research are aware that digitisation is not a simple process. Digitised data has to be managed with care, with close attention paid to issues such as copyright, data formats and preservation. Thus those applying for AHRB Resource Enhancement, Research Grants and Fellowships in the Creative and Performing Arts schemes with a digital project in mind are required to complete a technical appendix, and therefore demonstrate their awareness of these issues.

The project Stone in archaeology: towards a digital resource is being managed by Kathryn Knowles at the University of Southampton. In 2000, the project received AHRB funding for three years, to commence the following year; the project's technical appendix was considered an excellent example of how best to deal with the details of a digital project. The plans for the project were (and are) complex and far-reaching. Ms Knowles developed the project without much of a background in computing. Yet by a mixture of self-teaching and consulting various specialists, she was able to grasp and relay her understanding of the issues involved in digitisation.

The final resource is intended to be multi-disciplinary database, of interest to, amongst others, archaeologists, geographers, art historians and architects. It is based on an extensive rock collection formed at the Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, identifying the major rock types within the UK and the variations within each type. It is hoped that a final version of the database will contain geological information relating to the composition and appearance of each rock, geographical information on where the rock has been mined, and historical information on the various applications of the stone. This information will be presented in both textual and visual form. The initial search mechanisms for the database will be constructed for the users who wish to identify a particular stone-type from a sample they might have themselves. A beginner will be able to enter the visible or tactile characteristics of a stone she is interested in (for instance a user may come across a red, fine-grained rock which crumbles relatively easily and does not sparkle) The database will then return all the variations within the relevant family (in this case, sandstone). More experienced users will be able to execute more precise searches by identifying the rock via its mineral content (e.g. quartz, feldspar or iron oxide). As the project proceeds, more advanced mechanisms will be added to allow the user to search by location or use of stone.

Figure 1 - An application of a particular rock type: The Church Tower at Castor, near Peterborough, constructed of Jurassic Inferior Oolite

Digitisation: not just for the sake of it

While technological progress can lead one to believe that digitisation is an inevitable development for any project, digitisation is a sensible choice only when there is a concrete benefit to be gained. Digitisation is not a straightforward activity, and so those considering digitisation projects need to be able to envisage the advantages that will accrue from having an electronic version of the resource. When composing their technical appendix, the Stone in Archaeology team made it clear what advantages could be gained from extending their own digital resource.

The resource had been in development since 1993, the first records of the rock collection having being stored on the dBase III+ database system. This was soon upgraded to the more familiar Microsoft Access, but the database was still quite limited in scope. The team indicated that an AHRB grant could appreciably extend the size of the database, introducing not only a greater amount of the original rock collection but also the aforementioned geographical and historical information associated with each type of rock. Additionally, the grant would allow the Southampton team the opportunity to make the database a public resource. Previously, the digital record had been sitting on a local server available only to academics and archaeologists who could physically visit Southampton. The team planned that the final resource would be deposited with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS). The database would then be incorporated into ArchSearch, the catalogue of the ADS, thus opening the resource up to the wide range of national and international users that call on the ADS site.

Consulting Experts

As mentioned above, when Kathryn Knowles began preparing for the technical appendix, she had little detailed knowledge of the ins and outs of digitisation. Taking advice from a variety of sources, notably from the Archaeology Data Service and within her own institution, furnished her with knowledge necessary to compose a comprehensive technical appendix. Within Southampton, she gleaned help from an archaeology department with plenty of experience of applications in computer technology. She also consulted the Archaeology Data Service on a regular basis. Whatever one's situation in regard to the local university, the relevant Subject Centre from the Arts and Humanities Data Service can offer detailed advice on the technical aspects of one's project. In this case, the Archaeology Data Service gave Miss Knowles suggestions on issues such as database creation, web-based dissemination and long-term preservation. The technical appendix also noted that local archaeological bodies would be consulted to give advice on specific parts of the project and also, at a later stage in the development of the resource, to give feedback on the database's usability.

Project Management

While the technical appendix uses the same template for every AHRB applicant, different projects require managers to focus on specific elements. A particular part of Kathryn Knowles' task was to indicate that she was aware of the issues involved in creating a complex database. The first section of the appendix, Project Management, allowed her to outline the various steps needed to do this. Miss Knowles noted the need for preparatory planning of the database design, a pilot scheme to give this design a trial run, more data-entry when the pilot scheme has proved successful, and a continual process of testing and documentation. (Other AHDS case studies give more detailed descriptions of these tasks.) Such planning is vital if the project is to run smoothly. Failing to plan a database could mean that the original source is not correctly represented in the database, and can cause severe difficulties when trying to maintain and support the database at a later date. A pilot scheme is necessary to uncover any unforeseen obstacles. Without getting user feedback on a database (from those both in and outside the project) it is difficult to adapt one's resource for a wider audience. And without documenting the resource, future collaborators will find it difficult to update.

Data Development Methods

How the team would develop the contents of the database was dealt with in the second section of the appendix, Data Development Methods. Kathryn Knowles outlined the three data types that would initially be created by the team and then incorporated into the database - textual data, describing the rock types; image data, i.e. digitised photographs of the rocks; and geographical data pertaining to the source of the rocks. Again experts would be consulted about developing this data. The project would confer with specialists in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) about linking the geographical data with the rest of the contents of the database. Various other museums and archaeological services also offered to help with user testing and provide advice.

Figure 2 - Another example of a particular rock type: Nineteenth-century millstones from a Millstone Grit quarry at Bolehill, near Sheffield

Infrastructural Support

During the composition of the appendix, Kathryn Knowles benefited from the strengths of her own department where there is an existing group of specialists well-versed in computer applications in archaeology. The enthusiasm of the university for combining computers and archaeology gave Miss Knowles an advantage when indicating the infrastructure she could rely on during the project. Not only were there experts at hand, but some of the software and hardware needed by the project (including applications for handling the digitised images, managing the other data and testing the database's publication on the Internet) were already available. However, a well-stocked technological environment is not a prerequisite for a successful appendix. Applicants can cite which equipment they feel it is necessary to purchase in order to facilitate the project's running. Indeed, in spite of being well equipped, the Southampton project still had to buy hard and software, as well as some additional tools to perform the visual digitisation to a high standard.

The Infrastructural Support box also gave Miss Knowles the opportunity to prove she had methods in place to ensure the security of their data. While one of the functions of the AHDS is to safeguard data it is presented with, it is essential that each digital project develops its own strategy to guarantee that the data it is working on does not become corrupted during the life-time of the project. The Southampton strategy for this is to copy the database to the department network every night, which is then copied onto DATs (Digital Audio Tapes) at regular intervals. They have also decided to make local backups on to CDs and or zip drives. Applicants also need to consider how their data can continue to be accessed after upgrades in either hardware or the computer applications.

Data Preservation and Access

Much of the contents of the final part of the technical appendix, Data Preservation and Access, Kathryn Knowles had detailed in previous sections. Some more was added on documentation techniques, the appendix noting that adherence to AHDS guidelines in terms of cataloguing and documenting the data would mean that the resource could be both made interoperable with other archaeological resources, and that later managers of the database would be able to comprehend the context within which the data was created. Miss Knowles also re-affirmed her adherence to the guidelines set out within the various AHDS publications. As well as the Guides to Good Practice series, other essays on the AHDS website (for example, the section on the hows and whys of depositing data and the series of essays entitled Managing Digital Collections), can provide detailed advice on the intricacies of managing a digitisation project. The best standards and examples of good practice outlined here are a good guide for anybody writing a technical appendix. This final section also gave the Stone in Archaeology team the opportunity to note they had considered other problems in handling the data. The large size of the digitised images (digitised in the standard uncompressed TIFF format) might well have been of a size too inconvenient to handle and transport electronically between Southampton and the ADS, but the appendix noted that the ADS had assured the Southampton that they will be able to deal with the large images.

Conclusion

Completing the technical appendix of an AHRB application form is not designed to be a test of scholarly knowledge. Rather, it is a way of ensuring that applicants are cognisant of the various aspects of digitisation. The Archaeology Data Service, as one of the five constituent services of the Arts and Humanities Data Service, is happy to give advice to those writing such appendices and to continue to give advice during and after the running of digitisation projects. The Stone in Archaeology project is currently in the process of creating an advisory group to oversee the running of the project. It is hoped numerous relevant consultants, including a member of the ADS, will be on this committee. Making use of the AHDS is not only the surest way to gain knowledgeable help for your AHRB technical appendix, but to ensure the long-term success of your electronic project.

Stop Press

The co-operation between Kathryn Knowles and the ADS that supported the grant application has been extended in recent months. As well as helping with the application, the ADS have made facilities available to the Southampton team since the project started. For example, ADS technical staff have provided help and advice to the project team, who have been allocated working space on ADS computing facilities. Thus, not only has the relationship between the ADS and the project team resulted in a stronger application, it is also helping to support the successful completion of the project. The relationship between a project and the AHDS Subject Centre doesn't end with the application - it simply starts there.

Many thanks to Kathryn Knowles and William Kilbride
for their help in composing this case study.