Emergent Archaeological Realities and Reusable Datasets
Adéla Sobotková, Petra Heřmánková · University Press of Florida eBooks · 2022
Archaeological realities often emerge without prior notice, literally popping out of the trench or survey tract in front of seasoned practitioners. Recording these observations is possible using a paper margin or the diary, yet, how do we accommodate the unexpected in our digital systems? While most data capture systems are flexible, is tweaking in the middle of a campaign a good decision considering the long-term? The authors discuss their experience with changing data structures half-way through the fieldwork and the impact these changes had on future data quality and data reuse. Additions and other tinkering with data structures often produce sparse and inconsistent datasets. Tacked-on, partially-filled or NA-dominated columns, however, hinder reuse and often end up discarded from datasets. The question arises of how one should accommodate archaeological data that emerges in the field and, while aberrant, forms part of a fascinating human past that merits documentation? The ethical drive to record everything clashes with the digital future of such loose ends on the “write once, read never” heap. Archaeologists need to navigate these digital challenges if archaeology as a discipline is to rise to big-data