Guest Talk Nicola Lercari

3 November 2025, 16.15
Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Oettingenstraße 67
80538 München

Nicola Lercari (LMU München):

Preserving heritage as data: Evolving data ecosystems for the stewardship of our shared past

Abstract
What happens when we view cultural heritage not just as monuments or object collections but as data or digital resources that can be collected, shared, and linked to other forms of knowledge? Drawing on two case studies, this talk first examines the participatory digital stewardship of Bodie, California, where citizen scientists used the open-source Citizen Preservationist app to document and monitor fragile archaeological landscapes through structured data collection, geotagging, and open-access sharing, fostering stewardship ethics and public engagement. The second case, the Sun Stones Chronicles project at the Bornholms Museum in Denmark, shows how high-resolution 3D scanning, Linked Open Data, and semantic data models (CIDOC CRM and ICON ontology) can preserve, contextualize, and connect Neolithic artifacts from this Baltic island with other Scandinavian cultural heritage through online repositories. These examples together form a continuum from field-based participatory documentation to advanced data curation and dissemination, in which archaeologists, museum specialists, and the public all contribute to shaping memories and heritage collections. This talk argues that preserving heritage as data guarantees long-term accessibility, reproducibility, and inclusivity while creating new opportunities for research, education, and public engagement. By discussing citizen science, semantic interoperability, and open-access publishing, this presentation redefines digital heritage not as a static record of pixels but as a dynamic, evolving data ecosystem for the stewardship of our shared past.

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