A Roadmap for a National Training Centre on Multidimensional Digital Media in the Arts and Humanities
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Brighton
Department Name: Sch of Computing, Engineering & Maths
Abstract
This proposal aims to develop a roadmap to bring up to speed the data literacy skills of Arts and Humanities researchers when working with multidimensional (2D/3D) media datasets in the course of research. Data literacy is a key skill both within research and professional practice as it allows to exploit the full potential of the data collected through primary and secondary sources of research. Our evidence suggests that fewer than 10% of the arts and humanities community are currently trained on using, managing, linking and providing access to multidimensional data, including born-digital data (i.e. produced via modelling software tools) and data produced by digitisation processes, such as 2D photographic images (within and beyond the visible spectrum), 360 photography and video, 3D digital surrogate models, as well as interactive digital environments for Virtual Reality and Augmented/Mixed Reality. Our approach will be interdisciplinary to co-develop a strategy and roadmap to create a sustainable National Training Centre which promotes the development and delivery of multidimensional (2D/3D) media data literacy in the Arts and Humanities underpinned by innovative digital technologies, tools as well as open science practices. The physical location for this pilot activity in the South East of the UK will capitalise on its easy access to the digital creative industries, GLAM institutions, and universities which will allow designing approaches to reinforce researchers' data literacy and practical skills while strengthening their employability skills beyond academic career paths. The project outcomes include mapping of user needs, an open hybrid training framework which is piloted through teaching and learning activities (e.g. summer school, industrial placements, data+art residencies), and a roadmap for a National Training Centre in Multidimensional (2D/3D) Data Literacy Skill. Through the establishment of the National Training Centre, arts and humanities researchers will: 1. Improve their capacity to unlock the potential and value of multidimensional (2D/3D) media assets for driving technical innovation as well as addressing global challenges; 2. Strengthen their international standing as global players across interdisciplinary research domains as well as within the cultural sector and creative industries; and 3. Level up the playing field for using and reusing multidimensional data for research enquiry across institutions, career levels and paths.
| Description | This research investigates how best to embed digital and data literacies for arts and humanities researchers. It mostly addresses the challenges brought by the expanding popularity of digital/data infrastructures, as well as computational and data-driven research methods, also known as data science approaches. These methods are gaining popularity across all disciplines, and the arts and humanities are not an exception. Defined as "the science of (collaboratively) generating, acquiring, managing, analysing, carrying out inference, and reporting on data", they offer an interdisciplinary approach to underpin discovery and innovation. Such practices/advancements rely on structured or unstructured and often large-scale digital data by leveraging computational technologies to structure, manage, analyse, and visualise the data itself, expanding into publishing, using and reusing research results. The research concentrates on skills that relate to complex data including visual data, such as images, videos, three-dimensional (3D), and even four-dimensional (4D) data. These types of data allow researchers to explore a broader set of hypotheses and research questions. For historians, cultural studies researchers and digital humanists, digital methods and data offer novel opportunities to digitally document, study, research and disseminate important aspects of visual and material culture assets. These can include artefacts, environments, and even physical expressions of intangible practices (e.g. physical movement data about dance or craft). For design, media and arts researchers and practitioners, digital methods are often deployed for their creative and content-generation potential, as well as to gain new insights into a large body of media-related datasets. Our project produced an open framework for digital skills in visual and material culture, FAIR open-access training resources, within a curriculum designed around the complex visual data lifecycle. The project piloted various training activities, including workshops, webinars, and creative internships, to understand the contexts and training methods to support research and practice. It also produced a set of open-access resources for training (www.culturedigitalskills.org). The lessons learned include a deeper understanding of teaching and learning methods that suit knowledge transfer and advancement of relevant practical skills, as well as the ongoing challenges of implementing such a training framework. This includes building sustainable communities of practice to support, foster and build confidence amongst researchers, and infrastructure to deploy the methods learned. |
| Exploitation Route | The project designed and piloted an open framework to upskill researchers and professionals working with digital and data infrastructures, focusing on the various activities of the data life cycle from the creation of digital data, its processing, archive, analysis, use, and access provision to enable use/reuse. The project developed this framework using a train-the-trainer approach that promotes excellence in data literacy and offers scope to scale up effectively across the sector. The framework considers how to transmit specialist knowledge, practical skills and research governance including ethics and IPR. It also acknowledges that different teaching and learning methods can underpin delivering a skills-driven curriculum suited to different levels, competencies as well as the context in which skills become relevant to individuals and communities of practice. The project also created open-access training in various topics relevant to researchers and professionals, with various levels of expertise using digital infrastructure for training. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Communities and Social Services/Policy Construction Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Electronics Energy Environment Financial Services and Management Consultancy Healthcare Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Government Democracy and Justice Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Culture Heritage Museums and Collections Pharmaceu |
| Description | The short- and medium-term impacts of the research include: I1. Broadening access, improving knowledge and building capacity on computational as well as data-driven technologies in the HEI and beyond in ways which address the remit of organisations such as the GLAM and creative industries. For example, attendees of our training workshops commented that they appreciated "[the training] focused on the process rather than results. Where we didn't try to create the perfect scenarios but the perfect mistakes, to learn from and probably avoid them in the future" and "opening eyes about the different options provided. Appreciate all the new software and resources that I now know". (responses from attendees). I2. Diversifying training to transform professional practices in various sectors which are linked to the Arts and Humanities. This included comments from team leaders within organisations which highlighted that the training enabled them "to explore more possibilities of digital documentation and move towards advancing my skills and the ones of my team.", and "Oh, I just have my head so full of ideas and expectations now. Sharing this training with my work partners is the most interesting. Making models to analyse and exhibitions is also an exciting skill that brings many possibilities.". I3. Improving digital plans and data management both at individual and organisational levels. This should support researchers and practitioners to enable greater access for 1) diversifying offerings and widening participation, 2) supporting more inclusive ways to experience arts and humanities research, 3) valorising material knowledge and cultural practices, and 4) benefiting communities' societal and economic priorities. For instance, attendees commented on how the training will allow them to "creating projects for museums or collections [] to use this knowledge and create digital exhibitions.". The beneficiaries of these outputs were varied, including 1) people identifying themselves as researchers investigating the Arts and Humanities at different levels of their career (~50%), 2) practitioners working in programmes and exhibitions (including managing and supporting digital projects), content creators (digital content, social media etc), digital curators (managing digital assets), educational/learning staff, and managers/policymakers (~50%). Of these, approximately 30% hold a postgraduate education degree, and 25% hold a PhD degree making the largest proportion of our beneficiaries. The disciplinary domains in which these people engage are varied (in order of popularity): cultural and museum studies; visual arts; archaeology; design; development studies; history; information and communication technologies; media; law and legal studies; library and information studies; philosophy; political science and international studies; theology, divinity, and religion; music; languages and literature; and linguistics. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Title | UniversityofBrighton/2023-copyright-media: Version 1.0.0 |
| Description | This is release version 1.0.0 |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Training software for copyright of data in digital repositories. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10212742 |
| Title | UniversityofBrighton/2023-exhibition-design: Version 1.0.0 |
| Description | This is release version 1.0.0 |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Software for training on designing digital interventions. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10212740 |
| Title | UniversityofBrighton/2023-exhibition-evaluation: Version 1.0.0 |
| Description | This is release version 1.0.0 |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Training software for evaluation of digital exhibitions in GLAMS. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10212736 |
| Title | UniversityofBrighton/2023-fair-multidimensional-media: Version 1.0.0 |
| Description | This is release version 1.0.0 |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Training on digital skills for digital research infrastructure. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10212738 |
| Description | Participation at the Eurographics Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The attendance to the workshop involved discussions with European stakeholders setting digital infrastructures for the humanities and heritage science disciplines. It informed training, digital infrastructure tested as well as identifying requirements. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.gch2023.eu/ |
| Description | Participation at the IIIF Working Group meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The IIIF-3D Working Technical Specification Group is defining the standard framework for providing FAIR access to multidimensional media using the International Image Interoperability Framework. We engage with this efforts to inform our teaching with these developments and include use cases to represent those of our communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| URL | https://iiif.io/community/groups/3d/tsg/ |