University of Glasgow

Roderic Page

I stumbled across this paper (found on the [GBIF Public
Library](http://www.mendeley.com/groups/1068301/gbif-public-library/)):  

> [Oldman, D.](https://twitter.com/DomOldman), de Doerr, M., [de Jong,
> G.](https://twitter.com/fluxe), [Norton,
> B.](https://twitter.com/BarryNorton), & Wikman, T. (2014, July).
> Realizing Lessons of the Last 20 Years: A Manifesto for Data
> Provisioning and Aggregation Services for the Digital Humanities (A
> Position Paper) System. D-Lib Magazine. CNRI Acct.
> [doi:10.1045/july2014-oldman](http://dx.doi.org/10.1045/july2014-oldman)

  
The first sentence of the abstract makes the paper sound a bit of a slog
to read, but actually it\'s a great fun, full of pithy comments on the
state of digital humanities. Almost all of this is highly relevant to
mobilising natural history data. Here are the paper\'s main points
(emphasis added):  

1.  **Cultural heritage data provided by different organisations cannot
    be properly integrated using data models based wholly or partly on a
    fixed set of data fields and values, and even less so on \'core
    metadata\'.** Additionally, integration based on artificial and/or
    overly generalised relationships (divorced from local practice and
    knowledge) simply create superficial aggregations of data that
    remain effectively siloed since all useful meaning is available only
    from the primary source. This approach creates highly limited
    resources unable to reveal the significance of the source
    information, support meaningful harmonisation of data or support
    more sophisticated use cases. It is restricted to simple query and
    retrieval by \'finding aids\' criteria.
2.  The same level of quality in data representation is required for
    public engagement as it is for research and education. **The
    proposition that general audiences do not need the same level of
    quality and the ability to travel through different datasets using
    semantic relationships is a fiction and is damaging to the
    establishment of new and enduring audiences.**
3.  Thirdly, data provisioning for integrated systems must be based on a
    distributed system of processes in which data providers are an
    integral part, and not on a simple and mechanical view of
    information system aggregation, regardless of the complexity of the
    chosen data models. This more distributed approach requires a new
    reference model for the sector. **This position contrasts with many
    past and existing systems that are largely centralised and where the
    expertise and practice of providers is divorced.**

  
Recommended reading.


I stumbled across this paper (found on the GBIF Public Library):The first sentence of the abstract makes the paper sound a bit of a slog to read, but actually it's a great fun, full of pithy comments on the state of digital humanities. Almost all of this is highly relevant to mobilising natural history data.

Publicaciones de Rogue Scholar

Realizing Lessons of the Last 20 Years: A Manifesto for Data Provisioning & Aggregation Services for the Digital Humanities (A Position Paper)