On the Development of the Database “ArchaeoNomos” to Support Archaeological Research

Archeology is the only branch of human study that relies more on material remains left by people than on direct observation of human behavior or on written evidence. This focus on material evidence compels archaeologists to improve the methods and techniques of collecting and interpreting data that ensure the extraction of maximum information from available sources. The article provides an analysis of existing national and foreign information and geoinformation systems representing data on archaeological finds, cultural sites, and research documentation. A description of the existing standards, which regulate the list of attributes of geoarchaeological objects, is provided. The article also describes the stages of conceptual and logical modeling of the “ArchaeoNomos” database, which represents a unified repository for all data accompanying archaeological investigations, archaeological research and design, and documentation of research activities of the Scientific Research Center “Baikal Region” of Irkutsk State University. The problem of automating the processes of storage, processing, modification, and interpretation of geoarchaeological data is formulated. The system analysis of the subject area, system specification of an application that works with a database, the surveying specialists of the subject area to identify associations between database objects are presented. The infological and physical models of data presentation in the database are described, which allows the integration of the accumulated archaeological data into larger scientific associations. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of using relational databases as repositories for archaeological data are outlined. The purpose of creating the “ArchaeoNomos” database is to implement measures for the preservation of the archaeological heritage, including the introduction and the use of the database by scientists that systematize and automate access to accumulated scientific data, including literary sources. The sub-goals include solving the problem of organizing and storing archaeological data, implementing multilingual interfaces in the information system, organizing information support for field and laboratory archaeological research, transferring the physical (nondigital) historical data storage system to a digital system. “ArchaeoNomos” database allows to keep records, analyze, visualize, and interpret data on geoarchaeological sites of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region.