The primary aim of the WG Digital Numismatics is to encourage the implementation of the concepts of Linked Open Data (LOD) and the Semantic Web in numismatics.
Coins are particularly suitable for the application of LOD in that they are mass-produced, serial objects and have a relatively standard set of descriptive core data. As a result, significant progress has been made in the field, and numismatic projects are among the flagships in the application of LOD in the Humanities (http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july16/smith-yoshimura/07smith-yoshimura.html).
The WG Digital Numismatics is built around the leading architects of numismatic LOD in order to develop, provide and disseminate services and information that will significantly heighten the profile and use of digital technologies, in particular LOD, both within the numismatic community and in related disciplines, thus increasing cross-disciplinary exchange and interoperability. The tools and services provided by the WG act as a paradigm for the use of LOD in other areas of the Humanities.
To that end this working group will bring together partners and stakeholders from the field in order to identify existing resources and identify deficient sectors.
Most of the activities of the WG will revolve around VCC1 (eInfrastructure), in particular Reference Software Packages and Data Federation and Interoperability, however, within the framework of VCC3 (Scholarly Content Management) we shall be offering services and resources for the representation and management of data and enabling preservation and interoperability, as well as furthering a culture of data sharing.
In particular the WG activities will verge around:
- Providing list of platforms and tools, along with tutorials.
- Creation of tutorials and reports on main tools and techniques.
- Development and deployment of services and work flows for incorporating LOD tools into Humanities research.
- Collection of relevant demos and experience reports of applying LOD.
- Dissemination activities: a broad international framework for these exists in the European Coin Find Network and Nomisma.org.