Taking a look back at tDAR in 2012

Posted on by Adam Brin

We have wonderful things planned for tDAR in 2013, from an updated look and feel to the tDAR application, to a number of exciting new software features.  But, as we start out 2013, it’s interesting to take a look at how tDAR has changed and evolved in 2012.  2012 was a big year for tDAR and Digital Antiquity and we’re grateful to you for being part of it.  2012 included Digital Antiquity receiving a second grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the Center’s operation and development by expanding the content of tDAR, enlarging the community of users, and continuing to develop and enhance tDAR’s software.  We received an important endorsement from the American Anthropological Association.  We were also awarded a CLIR fellowship to fund a postdoctoral candidate in association with ASU Libraries.

The tDAR software underwent two major updates this year: Grid and Harris.  Combined, these updates significantly enhanced the search and discovery functionality for tDAR, and have improved the interface for data integration and data entry. The repository also underwent considerable growth.  Our contributors have added over 5,000 new documents, data sets, images, and other resource types for a total number of records now exceeding 373,000.

 

The repository is now over 180GB is in size, and has literally doubled in size over the course of the last year.

 

 

Usage Statistics

While we do not maintain detailed statistics on users or use to protect user and contributor privacy, we can share some interesting aggregate data.   Below are the most frequently viewed and downloaded resources.

Most Frequently Viewed Resources

  1. Aztec West Ruin: Perishable Artifacts and Pottery from Excavations by the American Museum of Natural History
  2. Aztec West Ruin: Composite Wall Elevations from Pre-Backfilling Architectural Photo-Documentation
  3. Prehistoric Irrigation in Arizona: Symposium 1988
  4. Spitalfields Project
  5. The Archaeological Survey of Cape Cod National Seashore
  6. Phoenix Basin Archaeology: Intersections, Pathways Through Time
  7. The Archaeology of Highland Chiriqui, Panama
  8. The Archaeology of African Burial Ground National Monument, New York
  9. Jordan’s Journey (44PG302)
  10. Cultural Resources Survey of a Proposed Well-Pad (IPB LWN 10) in Kisatchie National Forest (Catahoula Distict), Winn Parish, Louisiana

Most Popular Downloads

  1. Archaeology of the Pueblo Grande Platform and Surrounding Features Volume 2 Features in the Central Precinct of the Pueblo Grande Community
  2. A Century of Archeological Research at Mesa Verde National Park
  3. 1947-1948 CDF Aerial Photos Master Index Map
  4. Survey and Excavations in Joshua Tree National Monument: Report of the 1985 Joshua Tree Road Improvements Project
  5. Archeological Investigations at Joshua Tree National Park, California
  6. Archaeological Excavations at Jordan’s Point: Sites 44PG151, 44PG300, 44PG302, 44PG303, 44PG315, 44PG333
  7. Vanishing River Volume 1: Part 1, Scorpion Point Village: Chapters 1 – 4
  8. Archeological Survey and Site Testing for the Joshua Tree Roads Project, Package 291, Joshua Tree National Park, California
  9. The Fort Mountain Archaeological Project, Volume 1: Archaeological Investigations at Five Prehistoric Sites Near the Base of Fort Mountain in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
  10. An Ahupua’a Study: The 1971 Archaeological Work at Kaloko Ahupua’a North Kona, Hawai’i: Archaeology at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

Metadata Statistics

These are the most popular people, places, sites, and other keyword data used to describe tDAR records in the last year.

Culture Keywords

  1. Historic
  2. Archaic
  3. Ancestral Puebloan
  4. Euroamerican
  5. Mogollon
  6. Hohokam
  7. Woodland
  8. PaleoIndian
  9. Mimbres
  10. Fremont

Investigation Types

  1. Data Recovery / Excavation
  2. Archaeological Overview
  3. Heritage Management
  4. Systematic Survey
  5. Site Evaluation / Testing
  6. Architectural Documentation
  7. Reconnaissance / Survey
  8. Collections Research
  9. Site Stabilization
  10. Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis

Geographic Keywords

  1. Kuril Islands
  2. Rio Grande River
  3. Palomas Drainage
  4. Southwest New Mexico
  5. Eastern Mimbres
  6. Animas Drainage
  7. Seco Drainage
  8. Central Arizona
  9. California
  10. Southern California

Material Types

  1. Pollen
  2. Macrobotanical
  3. Ceramic
  4. Wood
  5. Chipped Stone
  6. Ground Stone
  7. Fauna
  8. Building Materials
  9. Dating Sample
  10. Shell

Site Name Keywords

  1. Vodopadnaya 2
  2. Drobnyye
  3. Ryponkicha
  4. Ekarma
  5. AZ U:15:61 (ASM)
  6. Ainu Bay 1/2
  7. AZ U:15:59 (ASM)
  8. Flying Fish – LA 37767
  9. Rasshua
  10. AZ U:10:6 (ASM)

Site Type Keywords

  1. Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
  2. Domestic Structures
  3. Settlements
  4. Archaeological Feature
  5. Artifact Scatter
  6. Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
  7. Non-Domestic Structures
  8. Resource Extraction/Production/Transportation Structure or Features
  9. Hamlet / village
  10. Hearth

General Keywords

  1. Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, NM
  2. Aztec West Ruin
  3. Macrofloral Analysis
  4. Perishable Artifacts
  5. Pollen Analysis
  6. Masonry Roomblock
  7. Masonry Architecture
  8. Masonry Pueblos
  9. Architecture Analysis
  10. Architectural Assessment

People or Institutions Referenced within tDAR Records

  1. Kathryn Puseman
  2. Linda Scott Cummings
  3. R.A. Varney
  4. Gary Brown
  5. Lori Reed
  6. Laurie Webster
  7. Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, NM
  8. Anne Grulich
  9. Chad Yost
  10. Joel Gamache

Add your files to tDAR today, and look for them on our most popular list of 2013.   We wish you a prosperous and healthful new year!