Emagines
Encyclopedia
Emagines is a project, funded since 2006 by the German Research Foundation (DFG), for digitizing the large and partially very old collections of images held by the German Archaeological Institute
(DAI). The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Research Archive for Ancient Sculpture (FA) are cooperating in the long-term strategic operation of a database Arachne
which aims at making these digitized images accessible worldwide.
, topography and architecture, much of which no longer exists in its former condition. Furthermore, the negatives are severely threatened by physical decomposition and destruction due to environmental influences, natural catastrophes like earthquake
s and (in the long run) manual use.
The project aims at the permanent digital preservation of the negatives and their content. Until being made available in the database “Arachne
”, widespread use of these negatives has been hindered by the way they have been scattered and by the partially overlapping nature of their images they carry. The digitized image holdings are copyright
ed by the DAI and are therefore shown to the Arachne guest with the water mark of the DAI.
The internet presentation of the images also provides a platform for an e-commerce system, still in a test phase. Within the database framework
, textual information about the objects depicted in the images will be continually updated by the DAI by citing new bibliographical references.
The database
was modified not only with regard to its contents, but also technically in response to the heterogeneous material, which varies greatly in type, chronology and cultural history. a new entry mask has been developed to describe the essential characteristics of the material in many of those object groups, and some of the existing entry masks needed to be extended or customized.
(DAI) in an on-going process. The scanned images are then sent to the Research Archive for digital processing, entry into a database and long-term storage on the SAN of the University of Cologne
for the DAI.
The resulting documentation-complex is a centralised scientific of the DAI which can be accessed by web.
German Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
(DAI). The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Research Archive for Ancient Sculpture (FA) are cooperating in the long-term strategic operation of a database Arachne
Arachne (Archaeological Database)
Arachne is the central object-database of the German Archaeological Institute . In 2004 the DAI and the Cologne Digital Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Cologne joined the effort to support Arachne as a tool for free internet-based research.-Definition:Arachne's database design uses a...
which aims at making these digitized images accessible worldwide.
Requirements and Aims
The project began with the glass negatives from the departments of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens, Istanbul and Cairo (Emagines1) in 2006. Negatives from Rome, Madrid, the headquarters in Berlin and the Eurasia-Department of the DAI were added during the second project phase in 2008 (Emagines2). These negatives mostly contain historical images of sculptureSculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, topography and architecture, much of which no longer exists in its former condition. Furthermore, the negatives are severely threatened by physical decomposition and destruction due to environmental influences, natural catastrophes like earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s and (in the long run) manual use.
The project aims at the permanent digital preservation of the negatives and their content. Until being made available in the database “Arachne
Arachne (Archaeological Database)
Arachne is the central object-database of the German Archaeological Institute . In 2004 the DAI and the Cologne Digital Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Cologne joined the effort to support Arachne as a tool for free internet-based research.-Definition:Arachne's database design uses a...
”, widespread use of these negatives has been hindered by the way they have been scattered and by the partially overlapping nature of their images they carry. The digitized image holdings are copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
ed by the DAI and are therefore shown to the Arachne guest with the water mark of the DAI.
The internet presentation of the images also provides a platform for an e-commerce system, still in a test phase. Within the database framework
Software framework
In computer programming, a software framework is an abstraction in which software providing generic functionality can be selectively changed by user code, thus providing application specific software...
, textual information about the objects depicted in the images will be continually updated by the DAI by citing new bibliographical references.
The database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
was modified not only with regard to its contents, but also technically in response to the heterogeneous material, which varies greatly in type, chronology and cultural history. a new entry mask has been developed to describe the essential characteristics of the material in many of those object groups, and some of the existing entry masks needed to be extended or customized.
Workflow
To avoid exposing the fragile contents from the risks of long-distance transport, the images are being scanned in the departments of the German Archaeological InstituteGerman Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
(DAI) in an on-going process. The scanned images are then sent to the Research Archive for digital processing, entry into a database and long-term storage on the SAN of the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
for the DAI.
The resulting documentation-complex is a centralised scientific of the DAI which can be accessed by web.
Data
84,298 (week 51 in 2009) glass negatives are currently available in Arachne. About 44,000 of these belong to the Emagines2 project. A fuzzy meta-search for the character string 'Emagines' results in about 48,000 hits in different categories, including the glass negatives. The glass negatives can be referenced through 84,298 records using image-navigation.See also
- Arachne (Official Webpage)
- Arachne-project: Emagines
- Research Archive for Ancient Sculpture
- German Archeological Institut
- Humanities Computing in Cologne
Links
- Powerpoint presentation-EMAGINES DAI Workshop at Berlin, 12/2009
- Emagines at the Photo Archives and the Photographic Memory of Art History conference (Florence, Italy)