SITAR, the Geographic Archaeological Information System of Rome: some challenging issues in opening archaeological data

Abstract

The Geographic Archaeological Information System of Rome (SITAR) is a project of the Special Superintendence for the archaeological heritage of Rome, a branch office of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism. The project aims to open archaeological heritage data from urban and suburban areas of Rome to the general public (http://sitar.archeoroma.beniculturali.it/). The SITAR webGIS portal enables the online consultation of archaelogical data. For every record in the database, the topographic location is provided, along with a descriptive sheet containing general information about the research and scientific information. The information provided corresponds to a “minimum level of knowledge”, which is adequate to allow for an aware re-use of data for academic purposes, conservation and urban planning. The design of such a project must take into account the inherent tension between the public interest of making archaeological data available to the public and the protection of personal data and intellectual property. In reaching its goal, SITAR also has to tackle a wide range of challenging issues, such as data quality and accessibility, long-term preservation and economic sustainability, which will only be possible by establishing a wide cooperation at European level, through a network of institutions concerned with cultural heritage data and services, as now suggested by European trends.