Archaeological geophysics - a digital 'Dark Age'

Advances in remote sensing techniques coupled with increased processing power of computers now enable large area surveys to be undertaken rapidly with large volumes of data captured at higher resolution than before creating a range of digital products. Yet approaches to publication remain largely rooted in existing practices with illustrations consigned to the printed project report – limiting its potential for reuse. The underlying data, which is a unique observation in time and place and expensive to collect, remains inaccessible. It is often retained by the practitioner, where issues of long –term preservation cannot be adequately addressed, or less frequently, deposited with a recognised digital archive. In the era of Open Data, traditional approaches need to be challenged so that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. This paper will explore the barriers to achieving that goal.

Peter McKeague (Historic Environment Scotland)