A crucial challenge facing archaeologists is using the vast quantities of data we are generating for research, management, and public education. The DINAA project provides online methods for linking non-sensitive archaeological data from a wide array of sources, to explore questions of human-environmental interaction at multiple geospatial and temporal scales, in the past, present, and future. A multi-institutional collaborative effort, DINAA provides a framework for distributed linked open data initiatives in North American archaeology; promotes greater interaction between data generators, managers, and users; and helps promote a greater appreciation for archaeology among researchers, resource managers, and the general public.

1. INKING RCHAEOLOGICAL ATA AT A ARGE CALE
David G. Anderson-1, Stephen J. Yerka-1, Eric C. Kansa-2, Sarah W. Kansa-3, Joshua J. Wells-4, Thaddeus G. Bissett-1, R. Carl DeMuth-5, Kelsey Noack Myers-5, and Andrew A. White-6
1. University of Tennessee, Knoxville 2.Open Context (http://opencontext.org) & UC, Berkeley (D-Lab) 3.Alexandria Archive Institute (http://alexandriaarchive.org) 4.Indiana University, South Bend 5. Indiana University, Bloomington 6. Grand Valley State University
-- Knoxville, Tennessee
Below: DINAA helps coordinate any
site- or culturally-specific data sets, and
will make them discoverable with public
information, web-related collections,
and citations to publications.
A: Analyses using DINAA linked datasets indicate about 30,000 archaeological sites are at risk
given a 3m rise in sea level, likely to occur in one to two centuries given IPCC projections.
Coordination of the research community through DINAA will provide better understanding of the
damage and illuminate priorities for study.
B: Southeastern NRHP properties within 200km of the coasts. The distribution of
recognized important resources, along with DINAA coordination of the research
community, can help model potential effects of inland population migration.
(The Digital Index of North American Archaeology)
DINAA
Abstract
A crucial challenge facing archaeologists is using the vast quantities of data we are generating for research, management, and public education. The
DINAA project provides online methods for linking non-sensitive archaeological data from a wide array of sources, to explore questions of human-environmental
interaction at multiple geospatial and temporal scales, in the past, present, and future. A multi-institutional collaborative effort, DINAA
provides a framework for distributed linked open data initiatives in North American archaeology; promotes greater interaction between data
generators, managers, and users; and helps promote a greater appreciation for archaeology among researchers, resource managers, and the general
public.
Above: Contributors pose after a
refreshing jam session.
Below, Left: Figure 3. Population density
per square mile 2010 within the study area
.
DINAA is a multi-institutional
collaboration funded by a grant
from the NSF Archaeology
program.
Introduction
DINAA LIVE
The Digital Index of North American Archaeology
(DINAA) is a web hosted resource that delivers
archaeological site data through direct cooperation
and partnership with SHPO site file managers,
federal institutions, and THPO representatives.
Open Source translational protocols, extensive
indexing, and URI minting allow integration of
datasets from many different and incompatible
data sources in a single interface (Figure 1). At
present DINAA shares primary data from over
340,000 archaeological sites in 15 states in eastern
North America.
Figure 1. DINAA publishes, translates and delivers structured data for
regional analysis. Data can be downloaded in several formats including
GIS web tiles.
DINAA archaeological site data were compiled in
cooperation with State Historic Preservation
Offices in our partner states to demonstrate the
feasibility and research value of interoperating
state-maintained site databases into a single, large-scale,
freely-available archaeological dataset that
protects sensitive site location information.
In this study, we used DINAA data to model the
effects of anticipated changes in sea level due to
global climate change on cultural resources near
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The sample is
derived from nine coastal states represented by
DINAA and a 200 km buffer from the Eastern
Atlantic modern coastline
Results show that projected sea level rise within
the coming century, as well as in the centuries
after, will result in the loss of a substantial portion
of the record of both pre-Contact and historic
human habitation of the coastal margin of the
southeast.
FREE ACCESS ARTICLE
ON DINAA
METHODOLOGY FROM
LITERARY & LINGUISTIC
COMPUTING
(A)
(B)
ADDRESSING A BIG DATA ISSUE WITH
DINAA
Global climate change and rising sea levels are a
pressing environmental reality that archaeologists
must address, both as cultural resource advocates
and as scientists with unique information about
how past societies were affected by changing
climates.
The effects of sea-level rise and concomitant
human population relocation on cultural resources
are examined using a sample of nine states
encompassing much of the Gulf and Atlantic
coasts of the southeastern United States.
Projected sea level rise within the coming
century, as well as in the centuries after, will
result in the loss of a substantial portion of the
record of both pre-Contact and historic human
habitation of the coastal margin of the southeast.
Comparison of newly public DINAA data on
“all” archaeological sites (A) with currently
available public data from the National Register
of Historic Places (B) demonstrates the scope of
the problem. Through coordination of existing
information through DINAA, the archaeological
community can begin tackling many emergent
issues.
Publically available data from NOAA, USGS,
and FDA allow modeling at multiple scales and
precision. For this study elevation data were
spatially joined with the archaeological data to
estimate archaeological sites potentially
impacted.
Figure 2, below, shows the coastal land area that
is within 5 meters of current sea level. Many of
these high risk areas also represent modern
population centers, which will compound the
strain on infrastructure in the event of emergency
reclamation (Figure 3).
Given a 1 meter rise in sea-level, which in many
projections is likely within a century, large
numbers of historic properties will be lost,
including over >13,000 historic and prehistoric
archaeological sites (Table 1).
Over 1000 properties currently designated
eligible for inclusion on the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) will be effected,
encompassing both archaeological sites, standing
structures, and other cultural property types
(Table 2).
Projections from this region alone, indicate the
likely impact of climate change on the record of
the human past.
Figure 2. Area potentially lost in 1-meter increments for the next 5
meters of sea level rise.
Every effort should be directed to minimizing and
mitigating these losses, as well as planning for
increased destruction of heritage resources in
areas where resettlement occurs.
Since DINAA provides stable URIs, and the other
data used in analysis are public, this model can
be produced and reproduced efficiently, and can
be adopted by agencies and institutions without
prohibitive cost that often accompanies predictive
modelling projects.
http://ux.opencontext.org/blog/archaeology‐site‐data