Fostering the publication of spatial archaeological data: a decentralized approach. The archeoViz web application and its portal

Résumé En

Accurately locating observations is fundamental in archaeological investigation, since archaeological knowledge is built from the spatial relationships determined between the immaterial entities recorded during fieldwork. In the history of this recent scientific discipline, the technologies for recording spatial information evolved. They have integrated the use of grid devices and coordinates, then of survey instruments, first analog and then digital, and more recently drones, 3D scanners and photogrammetric technologies. Nevertheless, these intense and long-lasting efforts to make spatialized archaeological data were not counter-parted by equivalent efforts to conserve, transmit and analyze spatial datasets. This situation is all the more problematic since archaeological data, in addition to constituting scientific data, also have a heritage status. They should therefore, in that double respect, be systematically restored to the general public.The archeoViz software contributes to this problem. It is an open source web application whose objective is to enable the reuse and public promotion of spatial archaeological data in a quick and seamless way. To do so, rather reiterate the principle of a centralized platform intended to gather all the information, archeoViz implements a distributed model: released as an R package, users can both use it locally on their machine and deploy static instances of the application on the server of their choice to make a particular dataset publicly available. In addition to the package, a portal (https://analytics.huma-num.fr/archeoviz/home/) indexes these static instances. Currently, 40 datasets are indexed, corresponding to ≈350,000 viewable archaeological objects and ≈10,000 refits. The portal is currently maintained by two persons and the archeoViz users community is animated through a mailing list and a forthcoming blog. Three objectives are pursued from the coupling of the archeoViz application and its portal.1. To propose a simple, fast and light spatial analysis tool. archeoViz is not intended to replace more complex software (such as Geographic Information Systems). It is a complementary tool that can be easily and immediately deployed, while allowing to perform essential tasks for any archaeological investigation: generate plans and sections of the distribution of archaeological remains, and perform elementary spatial statistics.2. Encourage data publication. archeoViz and its portal is a data editorializing solution, not publishing solutions. Publishing is not required to use the software; however, it is an incentive to publish, which must be done by using third-party services (Zenodo, tDAR, etc.). archeoViz can then interface with these services; in addition, the metadata of archeoViz instances deployed for specific datasets are aligned with standard repositories (geonames, VIAF, etc.). archeoViz and its portal thus allow the visual restitution of the products of an archaeological excavation for the benefit not only of scientists but also of the general public and the inhabitants of the territories where the research is conducted.3. Training in digital archaeology. archeoViz and its portal constitutes a pedagogical resource to train archaeologists in spatial analysis, digital humanities, programming and reproducible research, and open science.