4.5 million SEK for Environmental Archaeology Database
NEWS
The Swedish Research Council has awarded Umeå University 4.5 million kronor for the development of a database to help us gain new insights into the past interactions of environments, climates and peoples.
The SEAD - Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database (sead.bugscep.com) project will create a web-accessible, geographical database for environmental archaeology data. The system will allow researchers to study data on the interactions of past environments, climates and human impact, as well as study the implications of these for the present and future research agendas including heritage, species and landscape conservation. Empirical data from a large number of archaeological and Quaternary geological sites will be made accessible online and provide the basis for a wide range of interdisciplinary studies.
Through the use of innovative IT solutions, the system will combine the benefits of large datasets, easy access and powerful visualisations of scientific data. SEAD forms part of a comprehensive international initiative towards the construction of scientific research infrastructures and the project will link with similar systems being developed elsewhere in Europe and the USA.
The project will be undertaken through collaboration between The Environmental Archaeology Lab and HUMlab (www.humlab.umu.se), an international meeting place for the Humanities and IT at Umeå University. The development of SEAD will be led by Philip Buckland, previously responsible for the development of the multidisciplinary insect database BugsCEP (www.bugscep.com).
The Environmental Archaeology Lab (www.umu.se/envarchlab/mal), in the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious studies at Umeå University, has operated since 1994 as Sweden’s only national resource lab for environmental archaeology. The lab has extensive experience of research and contract archaeology from both Sweden and internationally and has accumulated a large amount of data which needs wider access, and is involved in the advancement of scientific methods in archaeology
For more information or an interview, please contact Dr Philip Buckland by e-mail: phil.buckland@arke.umu.se or tel. 0738-32 11 31
