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e-Arts and HumanitiesScoping an e-Science Agenda

Sheila AndersonArts and Humanities Data Service

Arts and Humanities e-Science Support CentreKing’s College London

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e-Science in the arts and humanities:Starting definition

• e-Science is about an enabling infrastructure – tools , technologies, computing power etc. – supporting research

• For the arts and humanities: the development and deployment of a networked infrastructure and culture through which resources – be they processing power, data, expertise, or person power – can be shared in a secure environment, and in which new forms of collaboration can emerge, and new and advanced methodologies explored

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Scoping Survey: Aims and Objectives• Raise awareness and understanding of e-

science, and how e-science might relate to and support the different disciplines within the arts and humanities

• Enable scholars engaging with ICT in their research practice to find about and take advantage of the outputs and tools arising from the e-science and e-social science programmes

• Assist the AHRC in the development of an arts and humanities e-Science research agenda

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The Scoping Survey• Scoping survey methodology

– Identify, collate and analyse information on e-science technologies, projects and outputs

– Consult the community to discuss the key elements of an e-science agenda to support their research practice – series of expert seminars

– Create an on-line information base for consultation by arts and humanities scholars with information on projects (both science and arts and humanities) and tools

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Outputs• Summaries of projects and tools, and an

overview report• From each seminar: discipline based report;

discussion paper, presentations• Final report drawing out common themes

and priorities and outlining an agenda• Searchable database for project and tools

information - maintained and updated by AHeSSC

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Expert Seminars: from the community; for the community

• Framed around research practice• Exchange ideas and knowledge• Identify use of ICT in research practice and ‘grand

challenges and opportunities’• Identify e-Science potential• Identify priority areas for research and practice• Recommendations for future action

– Priorities for research– Priorities for tools development

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Some Fundamental Principles• Truly be an arts and humanities agenda• Re-imagine the concept of ‘e-Science’ and challenge

existing e-Science technologies • Must come from, and be embedded in, research practice

and research needs• BUT be innovative and push barriers• Be sensitive to those less engaged• Inclusive – capable of embedding in everyday research

practice• Be about empowerment and democratisation• Enable new forms of collaborations across domains and

sectors• International, scalable, sustainable

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What would an agenda look like??

• It would understand and involve users– Methodologies of use must better inform creation,

curation, management, access, tools development– User friendly, easy to install and use tools– Cross domain and cross-sector– Empowering and open– Respecting IPR and copyright– Deep log analysis, anthropological studies etc. to

understand user behaviours

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What would an agenda look like??• It would address content needs:

– Massive digitisation programme– Existing, highly dispersed content joined up through the

grid and appropriate tools – ontology connectors– Deep mining using different methods for connecting; data

and text mining– Community engagement, folksonomies – Non-textual searching for sound, video; geo-temporal– Large scale images, moving images, sound, etc. managed

and accessed through the grid– Capture the creative process, making and research– Annotation, collation, visualisation, simulation– Content from across disciplines

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What would an agenda look like?? • It would enable collaboration:

– Strong possibilities – from text to performance– Access grid, VRO, Virtual communities– New forms of research characterised by

democratisation and openness – open critical editions?– New forms of collaboration – across disciplines and

domains and including shared curation– Shared creation, curation, analysis of shared content– Dynamic, interactive BUT secure and trusted– Authorisation and authentication built into systems – Push the access grid further for collaborative research

and teaching

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What would an agenda look like??• Characterised by innovation and experimentation• It would push methodological barriers:

– Visualisation– Simulation– Geo spatial and geo-temporal– Creative process– Annotation and text analysis, image analysis

• It would need support:– Institutional– Cluster computing rather than grid?– Training– Desk top tools

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More Information

• www.ahessc.ac.uk• http://www.ahds.ac.uk/e-science/e-science-

scoping-study.htm