Name: Archaeological Information System of the Czech Republic
Institution: Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno
Coordinator: Mgr. Olga Lečbychová; lecbychova@arub.cz
Website
AIS CR functions as a central public service providing a secure repository of archaeological data at the Czech national level and advocating its dissemination, synergistic use and accessibility for scientific and lay purposes. AIS CR integrates the components of the information collection and distribution process in archaeology, handles the legal agenda for archaeological fieldwork, supports education, collects preserves, and makes available the primary source of data for research. These data are the only existing record of archaeological contexts, which for the most part have been irreversibly destroyed by construction activity. AIS CR creates an umbrella platform for tools and services which record and manage archaeological fieldwork (Archaeological Map of the Czech Republic; Map of Archaeological Organisations); enable the publication of data and documents related to fieldwork (Digital Archive of the AMCR; 3D Library); systematically publish structured information of a synoptic nature and data on selected topics (Archaeological Atlas of the Czech Republic; Prague-Archaeological; THANADOS); provide a formal framework for the operation and recording of results of citizen science (Portal of Amateur Collaborators and Register of Individual Finds of the Archaeological Map of the Czech Republic); and support education, data sharing and the promotion of good practices in the discipline (TEATER, AMCR API, Archaeology Online).
Basic information about all prepared, ongoing and completed fieldwork in the territory of the Czech Republic and its results is currently entered into AIS CR. In order to improve and expand the spectrum of information, older information concerning archaeological heritage is also being saved and systematised to prevent its irretrievable loss. Within AIS CR, a team of data experts was formed to advocate for several substantial changes in the approach to archaeological research and the management of the archaeological archives, and which fundamentally contributed to the greater openness of Czech archaeological data made available in the open access regime. AIS CR enriches the portfolio of available digital services and partnerships at the level of international research projects and initiatives, enabling data integration, sharing standards, removing barriers to international data use and the dissemination of good practices in the field of archaeological data archiving based on FAIR digital data principles.
