The 3 Dimensions of Digitalized Archaeology. Data Management, Scientific benefit and Risks od Data Storage in Archaeological image-based 3D-Documentation

Abstract

Using just a smartphone and the right software, we can reproduce a 3-dimensional model of an excavation site in a highly-detailed resolution. Up to date, we are able to generate 3D-models of objects in different scales, of excavations on land and underwater, buildings, ruins or even whole landscapes. Today the creation of 3D-data is a widely accepted and an established procedure in Archaeology without being standardized yet. While drawing with a pencil is becoming an obsolete technique, we instead face new challenges of creating reproducible workflows, how fully exploit and how to store digital data: After data-production, the question rises what scientific benefit can the data provide for research? What yet unsolved questions can be addressed with the analysis of 3D-data? In short: Does the acquisition of 3D-data have an additional scientific value? Working with these techniques, we face an abundant amount of data not only to be analyzed but also to be stored. Do we need to archive all the raw data for future analyses or could we reduce the amount of bytes to store? How can a large quantity of data be handled for easy exchange between different researchers and different softwaresolutions? And how do we prevent information loss for future generations? In this session, we invite researchers working with 3D-scanning techniques to tackle these pressing questions and to share Open Source solutions for data sharing, further analysis and storage. The aim of the session is to discuss and to evaluate how to manage 3D-data in a meaningful way for scientific purposes and to find new ways to address the risks and challenges posed by digitalization. In short: Where are we, where are we going, and how do we want to design the handling of 3D-data in Archaeology