Science clusters
Summary
Synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques are increasingly used in heritage science to characterise the composition of ancient and artistic objects, but access to the data collected during experiments remains very limited. The SHARE project will set up an easily searchable database that will provide information on art objects and model samples analysed through the Historical Materials Block Allocation Group (BAG), providing easy access to raw and processed data, and metadata. By preserving valuable data, and promoting the integration of FAIR principles and Open Science practices within the heritage and broader scientific communities, SHARE opens the door for researchers worldwide to explore, share, and build upon this vast collection.
Challenge
Open Science project, Open Science Service, Citizen science, Main RI concerned, Cross-domain/Cross-RI
Cultural heritage is a vital record of past civilisations, and its preservation requires detailed analysis using advanced technologies. Synchrotron x-ray techniques have proven invaluable for characterising ancient and artistic objects. However, access to these resources remains limited to expert users through a competitive selection process. Furthermore, despite recent upgrades such as the installation of the ESRF’s Extremely Brilliant Source, which enhances synchrotron performance, the data generated from these experiments is still largely inaccessible and difficult to reuse in line with FAIR data principles. The SHARE project aims to tackle this challenge by making the Synchrotron Heritage BAG data easily accessible and reusable by everyone.
Solution
The SHARE project aims to develop an easily searchable database of over 1,600 datasets from synchrotron analysis on art objects and model samples, collected and analysed since 2020 through the Historical Materials BAG. This database will provide easy access to raw and processed data, and metadata. The first beneficiaries of this database will be the BAG users themselves, who will be able not only to easily retrieve and share their data, produce and cite DOIs, but also query the database with a view to cross-fertilisation and transversal research.
The project also aims to familiarise the heritage community with FAIR best practices and contribute to the implementation of Open Science tools that can benefit ESRF and other synchrotrons’ user communities.
Scientific Impact
The creation of a database with advanced search tools will allow BAG users to track, share, and sustain their datasets. By preserving and making heritage data reusable, the project ensures that researchers from the global heritage science community can continue to study and safeguard cultural treasures. SHARE will also provide training to the BAG community in FAIR best practices, ensuring that Open Science becomes standard.
With the ongoing development of better data processing tools, notably using artificial intelligence (AI), the project opens up new possibilities for data-driven discoveries. The adoption of Open Science practices and FAIR data principles will serve as a model for synchrotron facilities worldwide, encouraging the development of similar initiatives and enhancing collaborative research across scientific domains.
Principal investigator
Marine Cotte is research director at LAMS (Structural and Molecular archaeology laboratory), UMR-8220, Sorbonne University, Paris, on secondment at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). She is beamline scientist in charge of the X-ray micro-spectroscopy beamline, ID21, and ESRF internal coordinator of the “historical materials BAG”. She combines development and application of synchrotron-based microscopes for the study of ancient and artistic materials, aiming at revealing masters’ secrets or at understanding degradation phenomena for the better preservation of our heritage.
