Big Data, Heritage Management, and the EAMENA Project

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeological Vision in the Age of Big Data" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Heritage inventories are crucial for effective cultural heritage protection, especially during conflicts or disaster situations. Digital technologies, particularly remote sensing, are making it easier and faster than ever to create and disseminate these inventories, and collect data on a scale not previously possible. Since 2015, the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) Project has been integrating new and existing datasets into an open-access database to identify, record, and assess disturbances and threats to archaeological sites across the MENA region, and to aid heritage officials in the management and protection of their cultural heritage. But how can we best utilise these ever-increasing quantities of data to manage and protect heritage, particularly where the human and financial resources available for these activities remain limited? Furthermore, how does the ability to collect vast amounts of data from afar change the relationship between local stakeholders and foreign researchers? Using the EAMENA Project as a case study, in this paper I will reflect on how the rapid collection and analysis of large amounts of data is changing heritage management methodologies and practices, and the advantages and challenges of this kind of approach in the MENA region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Archaeological Vision in the Age of Big Data

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24599