Archaeological computing in Berlin

The annual Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology or CAA conference has been going in Berlin for a couple of days. My personal cotribution to the conference consist of a paper on the question of the compatibiity of the results of archaeological work and the needs and information work procedures of the archaeology professionals who are supposed to benefit of the information. The techniques and methods of capturing and preserving archaeological information have been discussed broadly in the literature. The further uses and users of the data and including their implications to the information have seldom been discussed in a comprehensive manner. Archaeological research projects and heritage organisations have concentrated on producing data for their own present use without a specific concern of the prospective users of the created and processed information. In order to ensure the functional, not only physical sustainability of the earlier and current archaeological information resources, a special emphasis on is needed their functional sustainability. The presentation informs future development of information systems and information services for archaeology and cultural heritage professionals placing a specific focus on the extended lifecycle and evolution of the information and its uses.