New Issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice Features CfAS Partners and Associates

Partners Represented:

Arizona Army National Guard (Shelby Manney)

Digital Antiquity (Christopher Nicholson, Rachel Fernandez)

Open Context (Sarah Kansa)

SRI Foundation (Jeff Altschul)

Statistical Research, Inc. (Michael Heilen)

University of Colorado, Boulder (Scott Ortman)

Associates Represented:

Jeff Altschul, Rachel Fernandez, Michael Heilen, Phil Leckman, Scott Ortman, and Sarah Schlanger

One of the central requirements of a synthesis project is having access to pertinent,  useful, and interoperable data. Nowadays, most archaeological data are collected within a heritage management or commercial context, in compliance with preservation laws and regulations. The vast amount of archaeological work accomplished by compliance efforts has produced an unprecedented volume of archaeological data. Synthesizing these data from a broad, deep-time perspective can provide insights into challenges that societies faced in the past, and continue to grapple with today, like climate change, food insecurity, mass migration, social inequality, violent conflict, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Enriching understanding of the human experience through archaeological synthesis can help shape a brighter global future.

Yet, the lifecycle of many archaeological data is too often cut short. Countless data remain siloed and difficult to find, let alone access, integrate, and reuse for synthesis. Many questions and concerns involving data practices and workflows need to be considered in addressing archaeology’s data problem. Are the right kinds of data being collected? For which constituencies are the data useful (or not useful) and how can the quality, utility, and durability of archaeological data be improved? What ethical concerns surround the collection and management of archaeological data, and how do data practices protect or harm the interests of Indigenous peoples, descendant communities, and other stakeholders? How should sensitive data be stored, accessed, shared, and governed, both now and in the future?

These and other pressing questions are explored in a series of articles published in the February issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice, guest edited by Michael Heilen (CfAS Board Member) and Shelby Manney (CfAS Partner Representative). Published entirely in Gold Open-Access and sponsored by the Environmental Management Office of the Arizona Army National Guard, this special issue is devoted to the timely theme of refining archaeological data collection and management. CfAS Partner Organizations and Affiliates feature prominently among the many authors who contributed to the issue. Given the central role that archaeological data can play in fostering synthesis, it’s well worth a look!

Advances in Archaeological Practice Vol, 11, No. 1

Refining Archaeological Data Collection & Management

 Guest edited by Michael Heilen and Shelby Manney

Heilen, Michael, & Shelby A. Manney (2023). Refining Archaeological Data Collection and Management. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):1-10. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.41

Leckman, Phillip O., & Michael Heilen (2023). Our Checkered Past: Sites, Landscapes, Trails, and Transect-Recording Unit Survey. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):11-28. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.36

Douglass, Matthew J., LuAnn Wandsnider, & Simon J. Holdaway (2023). Surface Artifact Scatters, Data Collection, and Significance: Case Studies from Australia and the United States. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):29-41. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.37

Schlanger, Sarah H. (2023). More Than Meets the Eye: Integrating the Management of Landscape Character and Archaeological Resources for Culturally Significant Landscapes. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):42-51. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.32

Halford, F. Kirk, & Dayna M. Ables (2023). The National Cultural Resources Information Management System (NCRIMS): New Horizons for Cultural Resources Data Management and Analyses. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):52-62. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.39

Nicholson, Christopher, Sarah Kansa, Neha Gupta, & Rachel Fernandez (2023). Will It Ever Be FAIR?: Making Archaeological Data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):63-75. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.40

Gupta, Neha, Andrew Martindale, Kisha Supernant, & Michael Elvidge (2023). The CARE Principles and the Reuse, Sharing, and Curation of Indigenous Data in Canadian Archaeology. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):76-89. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.33

Ortman, Scott G., & Jeffrey H. Altschul (2023). What North American Archaeology Needs to Take Advantage of the Digital Data Revolution. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):90-103. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.42

Klehm, Carla (2023). The Use and Challenges of Spatial Data in Archaeology. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(1):104-110. doi:10.1017/aap.2022.38