Katharine Watson, Christchurch Archaeology Project, presents at NDF25.

Abstract:

Archaeological data is a rich and unique source of information about Aotearoa’s history, providing tangible insights into people’s lives, the processes that affected them and the landscapes they occupied. This is why archaeological sites are protected by law, and why reports are required to be written on archaeological excavations. But these technical reports are (a) not that accessible to the general public and (b) not that user-friendly for future research. At Christchurch Archaeology Project, we want to change that, to make archaeological data – generally considered to be a public good – accessible to the public and useful to anyone who is interested. To this end, we built the (online) Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi (MoAŌ), to enable access to collections that would otherwise be hidden away (or lost forever, or stored in a way that is completely inaccessible). MoAŌ demonstrates the power of a relational database to bring the past to life by highlighting the relationships between people, place and objects. If nothing else, the amount of data we had to deal with and the short time-scale we built the museum in will take your breath away! We’ll outline the challenges we faced, the lessons we learnt, the solutions we arrived at – and the incredible opportunities that lie ahead.