GlobaLID - Building an interface between geochemistry and archaeometry to create a new research infrastructure with a global perspective

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Sabine Klein; Helge Wiethoff
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 524790825

The two applicants and their team are endeavouring to implement an openly accessible research data infrastructure for the interactive and interoperable use of applied geochemical data with a global coverage using the statistical environment R and Shiny App. The infrastructural measure is first addressed to an interdisciplinary community applying combined lead isotope data of ores and objects to their research. Implementing this focused infrastructure, the way is paved for a number of isotope applications aside from lead isotopes. In contrast to other geochemical data found in the geoscientific literature and databases, lead isotopes are a specific interdisciplinary tool for metal provenance of archaeological objects. They are therefore widely scattered in archaeological, geoscientific, chemical, and material scientific journals and books. This makes access to non-digitized data particularly difficult. Many reference data lists for lead isotope data of ores have been published by individual research groups, often selectively by regions-of-interest and therefore very limited from a global perspective. The workload of the entire community is consequently multiplied with each research building and maintaining their own databases. At the same time, their individual structures resulted in heterogeneous and incomplete meta-information. Moreover, traditional ways of publishing data result in fixed, non-extendable lists. At the same time, access to the data is heavily restricted because not all institutions can provide it. GlobaLID will aim to establish with the community a standard for reporting lead isotope data. Based on this standard, it will create a modern, interactive and long overdue data infrastructure for lead isotope data following the FAIR principles. By creating an interactive interface, researchers from around the world are provided with the opportunity to work interactively and independently with lead isotope data, while a core team of experts supported by contributors from the community ensures a long-term infrastructure, a high-quality database and a continuously developing application. Although the database can be used separately, the web application will provide an alternative and convenient way to work with lead isotopes and create publication-ready output. Linking GlobaLID with existing databases and information systems of related disciplines will enhance its potential and guarantees a most modern approach. The application is thus well suited to become a substantial interface between infrastructural approaches such as NFDI4Earth and NFDI4Objects. Beside the aim to standardize lead isotope data and significantly ease the access to them for an interdisciplinary community, GlobaLID also want to bring the whole lead isotope community closer together. Therefore, the integration of researchers from less wealthy countries will be fostered by active support and encouragement in their participation of the project workshops.

• DFG Programme: Research data and software (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)