Nuove soluzioni in rete per la gestione e la divulgazione del dato archeologico

The use of databases in archaeological research, by now not only generally accepted and widespread but also elevated into a field of an observation and experimentation, appears to be one of the most innovative frontiers in archaeological research. This is due both to the potential that databases offer in developing archaeological research methodologies and to the possibilities that the most recent database systems, many of which are developed in open source, provide for managing data on-line. The possibility of creating a research network based on the sharing, at various levels, of archaeological data constitutes, in fact, a new methodological approach. It can offer new perspectives both in acquiring and managing data, and in processing them. The additional value of this approach lies mainly in the possibility of extending, via the web, the management of archaeological data from a “local” scale to “remote” access, by establishing networks within the individual research centers, thus favoring the creation of a “polycentric” research structure, in which each unit constitutes a decentralized point of a unique network. Linked to G.I.S. systems or to web navigation interfaces (virtual environment, 3D models…), online databases, beside providing more and more widespread support for archaeological research, represent an effective system for registering, monitoring, assessing and developing the archaeological patrimony.