Dear CRM-SIG, We understand that the latest version 1.2 of CRMarchaeo (http://www.ics.forth.gr/isl/index_main.php?l=e&c=711) is due to be presented at the SIG meeting next week. This is welcome news and very good progress.
However despite some of us having been closely involved in the early 'birth & development' of these extensions We are not sure at this point what the latest trajectory for comments on CRMarchaeo is? Is there a mechanism whereby the current version will be made open for 'Review' to CRM-SIG members who cannot attend the meeting, either before, after, or as part of the agenda of the meeting and if so can you provide direction on that? The last version we saw (after CAA Paris) dated April2014 looked very positive and definitely reflected major progress and excellent efforts towards completing this complex work. However it remained unclear at that time (and still) how some of our feedback on more detailed modelling of the stratigraphic and physical relationships that derived from CRM-EH modelling (http://www.cidoc-crm.org/docs/Ontological_Modelling_Project_Report_Sep2004.pdf<http://www.cidoc-crm.org/docs/Ontological_Modelling_Project_Report_%20Sep2004.pdf>) and further research potential arising from implementations of such modelling during the STAR project (http://hypermedia.research.southwales.ac.uk/kos/star/) had been represented in the drafts of CRMarchaeo. We’d particularly like to see a bit more detail on the physical relations (such as Filled by, Fill of, Cut by, Cuts) between A8 Stratigraphic Unit and A2 Stratigraphic Deposit Unit and A3 Stratigraphic Interfaces, along with more consideration of the stratigraphic inferencing that is proposed for A5 Stratigraphic Modification using AP13 'Has stratigraphic relation'. The suggestion for an appendix that "illustrates an example for stratigraphic and spit excavation and shows how these two types of excavation methodology would be represented with CRMarchaeo" sounds like a very helpful idea, but I don't know if that has been achieved yet? Also we note that the reference document for CRMarchaeo still has a number of scope notes to be completed (e.g. A5 Stratigraphic Modification) which makes consideration of some of these issues harder. In Summary, There are no dramatic incompatibilities between CRMarchaeo as it now stands and CRM-EH. The further modelling of CRM-EH took a slightly different path and clarified the CRM-EH classes, subtyping them where necessary to achieve a more explicit model, but one which is geared to representing the single context recording methodology used in the UK (and more widely). The more generic approach taken in CRMarchaeo is to accommodate a broader range of excavation techniques (Spits, Planum, Locus, etc). For the enhancement of CRMarchaeo we can provide more detailed feedback on the following if directed how. Some clarification on the relationship between A2 and A3 is needed, particularly wrt AP12. Likewise with the A2 genesis and contains/confines. Also more could be done to represent the temporal relationships for the events leading to the stratigraphic sequence/matrix which is so integral to relating much of the other data from excavations. We think from STAR research that some sub-properties of Allen, to accommodate stratigraphic sequences, may be required and prove very beneficial for integration and inferencing over stratigraphically related datasets (e.g. a 'Stratigraphically directly before/after' is not necessarily temporally synonymous with the Allen p120 Occurs Before/Occurs After ). It would be advantageous if such small but very significant amendments could be incorporated in the CRMarchaeo model rather than requiring further extensions in the future. So the main question we have is how best to feed these elements into the process for acceptance and use of CRMarchaeo? Best Wishes Keith May Paul Cripps Doug Tudhope Ceri Binding This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of English Heritage unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it. Any information sent to English Heritage may become publicly available. Portico: your gateway to information on sites in the National Heritage Collection; have a look and tell us what you think. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/archives-and-collections/portico/
