Overview
The relational database “iDAI.field 1,” developed in 2006, marked the first attempt to standardize the DAI’s excavation data management (Schäfer 2012). The concept of a unified database technology and a unified database model was so successful that a follow-up project to redevelop the documentation system was launched in 2016, with the aim of transferring its strengths into modern and dynamic open-source software (Hohl u. A. 2023): A flexible data model that offers both standardization and individual freedom for the DAI’s diverse archaeological projects, mechanisms for ensuring data quality, and the ability to document in multiple languages remain the core requirements of the project to this day. Making the software accessible to projects outside the DAI as well, to which the cooperation with the Head Office (VZG) of the Common Library Network (GBV), which has been ongoing since 2023, and the availability of Field as part of NFDI4objects make a major contribution.
Over the years, numerous individuals have been and continue to be actively involved in the development of iDAI.field: Thomas Kleinke, Simon Hohl, Nicolas Antunes, Lisa Steinmann, Fabian Riebschläger, Juliane Watson, Daniel de Oliveira, Sebastian Cuy, Michael Kihm, Jan Wieners, Danilo Guzzo, Fabian Zavodnik, Philipp Gerth, and Max Haibt. A comprehensive history can be found at dainst/idai-field on GitHub. We are developing Field in close collaboration with the Referat Forschungsdatenmanagement (Research Data Management).