VLDB 2005

A Faceted Query Engine Applied to Archaeology

Kenneth A. Ross Angel Janevski

Julia Stoyanovich

Columbia University

August 31, 2005VLDB 2005

August 31, 2005VLDB 2005

• material: iron• weight: 98 grams• found in: surface layer• condition: corroded• manufacture: hammered

August 31, 2005VLDB 2005

facets

Goals• Record information• Classify artifacts • Analyze, interpret off-site• Suitable for non-technical users

August 31, 2005VLDB 2005

August 31, 2005VLDB 2005

The Faceted Approach

Groups of entities classified along facets– mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive

Complex hierarchy & entity structure Entity set – basic conceptual structure Data model, query language [SWDB 2004] Domain-independent implementation Data stored in RDBMS

August 31, 2005VLDB 2005

Overview of the Project

“Computational Tools for Modeling, Visualization, and Analysis of Archaeological Sites”

Inter-disciplinary– Archaeology, Databases, Robotics, Virtual

Environments Thulamela, South Africa

– 450 entities Memphis, Egypt

– 3400 entities

DEMO

Wednesday 14:00 – 15:30Friday 9:00 – 10:30