MartinHinz
commented
2 months ago We might explore various resources for subclasses or related concepts for archaeological sites, such as settlements, hoards, burials, megaliths, and enclosures. Here are three valuable options: the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Getty Vocabularies, and Wikidata.
1. German Archaeological Institute (DAI) - iDAI.world and iDAI.thesauri
Description: The iDAI.thesauri, part of the iDAI.world platform by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), offers a comprehensive thesaurus of place names and archaeological sites, including classifications relevant to prehistoric archaeology.
Features:
- Provides detailed metadata and standardized terms for archaeological sites.
- Includes geographic information and hierarchical relationships between concepts.
Access:
- Website: iDAI.thesauri
- API: Allows programmatic access to data for integration into applications.
Usage Example: You can create a service in a Rails application to fetch and display data from the iDAI.gazetteer.
2. Getty Vocabularies - Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
Description: The Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) is an internationally recognized vocabulary that includes terms related to archaeological sites and classifications.
Features:
- Structured vocabulary for various archaeological and architectural concepts.
- Provides detailed term descriptions and hierarchical relationships.
Access:
- Website: Getty AAT
- API: Getty Vocabularies LOD
Usage Example: You can create a service in a Rails application to fetch terms from the Getty AAT API and integrate them into your application for standardized classification.
3. Wikidata
Description: Wikidata is an open and collaboratively edited knowledge base that provides structured data for various concepts, including archaeological sites. It allows users to query and explore data using the SPARQL query language.
Features:
- Extensive and structured information about archaeological entities.
- Open and collaborative, with frequent updates and contributions from the community.
Access:
- Website: Wikidata
- SPARQL Query Service: Wikidata Query Service
Summary
- DAI: Best for detailed geographic and site-specific data from a reputable archaeological institute.
- Getty AAT: Ideal for standardized vocabulary and hierarchical relationships in the context of art and architecture.
- Wikidata: Provides an open, collaborative platform with extensive and up-to-date structured data.
joeroe
Users are currently presented with a long and unstructured list to choose from when selecting the site type of a site, which is hard to navigate and doesn't promote particularly consistent or useful data. I wonder if we could add some structure here, for example:
Or, going in the other direction, abandon the idea of finding order in the chaos here, and make it a free text field instead of an association?
The underlying issue for me at least is that I don't understand exactly what site type is supposed to mean or what it's intended to be used for, especially in a global sense.