The Big Data Challenge. Integrative Big Data Approaches towards a Hybrid Archaeology
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 27/08/2019

Archaeological data are what economists call a ‘non-rivalrous’ good: they can be processed again and again with no diminishing of their value. The recent embracement of digitalization in archaeology, coupled with the proliferation of archaeological projects over time, has dramatically multiplied the informative legacy at our disposal. In order to avoid the risk of isolated data silos, one of the current challenges is the correlation and aggregation of data in the 3V’s perspective of Big Data: high volume, high velocity and high variety. Despite the traditional adoption of SQL relational database by archaeologists, the rising importance of Big Data in Computer Science has recently showcased a new typology of database: the NoSQL. This database can safeguard a ‘more human’ approach through dynamic queries and enhanced functions of data visualisation, so that NoSQL appears now to be a fundamental tool in moving from data silos to a ‘brain-like’ strategy of data management. This papers aims to illustrate the potential of a specific type of NoSQL graph database in handling archaeological Big Data, through the discussion of a tested case study in Bronze Age Cyprus.

(Francesca Chelazzi, Simone Bonzano)