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Organised data management and the implementation of comprehensive project databases are essential in interdisciplinary research projects. The establishment of a project database is a key task. Examples of research projects with a central project database are: CRC/TR32, CRC 299, CRC 522, CRC 564, IRTG 769, the GLOWA projects (Danube, IMPETUS, Volta etc.), as well as the EU funded NOFRETETE project.
The overall aim and task of this project is to implement and maintain a project database that stores, manages and aggregates all data from the other projects. The work programme will be divided into three major periods.
- Within in the first period, the focus will be on the development of the database framework. This includes the determination of the relevant data by implementing a questionnaire about data and software.
- The second project period will be characterised by the design, development and implementation of the project database. Besides the storage of the collected data, the focus will also be on its metadata.
- The development of an online graphical user interface (GUI) which accesses the database will be realised within the third period. To meet the requirements of creating a user-friendly comprehensive database management system, self developed functionalities and interfaces, based on Web-GIS technologies, will be carried out.
For the implementation of the online project-database, ESRI’s product family will be used since the working group of G. Bareth has profound knowledge about implementing spatial databases with these and open source products. In addition to the GIS products, PostgreSQL and MySQL will be obtained in order to manage the attribute and metadata. The file database will just be organised in a folder system (e.g. AFS) and the files will be accessible via the Online-GUI. The implementation of the whole system requires extensive programming in Java, CGI, PHP, XML, AJAX, HTML and AXL. Additionally, the staff must be highly qualified in database, GIS, and remote sensing (RS) technologies. Similar approaches were lately implemented by the working group of G. Bareth (www.tr32db.uni-koeln.de) for the CRC/TR32 (Curdt et al. 2008).
As a result of the comprehensive database and the use of highly resolute raster data, the project offers the potential to generate multi-scaled standardised field maps of the main study areas of the CRC, which will be helpful in the fieldwork. In CRC 389 (ACACIA project E1), positive experience was obtained in combining Landsat/ASTER and QuickBird/Worldview I/II satellite images with the relevant spatial data of the projects. Thus, archaeological survey of an investigation area can be combined with a geographical raster from topographic maps (e.g. 500 m squares). In addition, the results can be presented in an atlas-framework (e.g. Bubenzer et al. 2007a).
This project has a key role in the overall project due to its general task of ensuring the sustainable use of all collected and measured data. Consequently, there is strong linkage and cooperation to all projects within the CRC due to the data management and data exchange tasks of this project.