Daniel Löwenborg

Responsibility for data, finds and knowledge

Archaeological work is irreversible. Sustainability therefore means, above all, ensuring the long-term preservation, usability and visibility of finds, data and research findings. In view of the ever-increasing volume of finds and data, key questions arise regarding the assessment, prioritisation, analysis and public communication of archaeological findings. The annual conference provides a forum for professional exchange between heritage conservation, research, excavation practice, museums, data infrastructures and the general public.

The paper presents Sweden’s Swedigarch infrastructure and the development of standardised, FAIR archaeological data structures. Using the Ostlänken excavations as a major test case, it explores open formats, controlled vocabularies and persistent identifiers to make archaeological data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. It also discusses successful approaches and remaining challenges.