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 investigated a framework including a curriculum, teaching and learning approaches, and infrastructures to embed digital and data literacies for arts and humanities researchers. It addressed the challenges brought by the expanding adoption of computational and data-driven research methods, also known as data science approaches, and in particular Artificial Intelligence algorithms, to the collection, analysis and access of large-scale data. 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. This research concentrated on piloting various approaches to bring those skills related to multidimensional data including visual data, such as images, videos, vector-based three-dimensional (3D), and sensor-based datasets. Key achievements of the project include: 1. Early on we branded the project as the Centre in Digital Skills for Visual and Material Culture, and developed a communication and dissemination strategy in collaboration with a designer to maximise reach to key stakeholders. To support communication and dissemination, we designed and developed a website as well as used social media channels to communicate the activities of the centre, including training opportunities, links to activities, the project team, the project outputs, and a calendar of activities. Later in the project, we rebranded it as the Digital Skills Network in the Arts and Humanities providing visibility to other projects funded under the same funding programme, and promoted this amongst the national and international communities, including the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association and the European DARIAH-ERIC. This strategy enabled our project to be easily recognised internationally, something which we continue to build upon. In August 2024, the PI led a bid to the "Digital infrastructure: new approaches to skills or software" call in collaboration with the other projects in the network for further funding to build upon this work. The successful proposal allowed the network to consolidate itself under the "Digital Skills in Arts and Humanities (DISKAH)" name leveraging the already existing brand, and communication strategy from our project as well as the networks developed. 2. An open training framework with a digital skills curriculum and train-the-trainer approach based on a tried-and-tested model. This was designed and piloted based on the identified user-needs to promote excellence in data literacy and offers scope to scale up effectively across the sector. The framework is based on a theoretical, yet practice-based approach, for transmitting specialist knowledge and practical skills. It 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. 3. An accessible digital infrastructure for training within the D4Science project with a federated authentication process to allow members of different institutions to access a Training Virtual Research Environment, on-the-cloud platforms and open datasets to support training. This digital infrastructures for training, including the digital tools and shared data spaces, was identified and deployed once several options were investigated and tested to ensure individuals and communities of practice could train together while supporting individual contexts. 4. A modular curriculum based on the life cycle of data. This groups skills into those which support: 1) Data planning and management, 2) Data creating and processing, 3) Data archiving and preservation, 4) Data use/reuse and analysis, 5) Data publishing and sharing. These topics guided the design of training opportunities. 5. Piloted training activities with tangible open-access outcomes. Participants of the training had opportunities to develop their understanding of the data, its life cycle, management as well the research context in which this can be used and repurposed. 6. Nine open-access, licensed under CC-BY 4.0, training resources available to the community on the following topics: Copyright of 3D Data Creating Stories with 3D Data on the Web Data Ethics in Cultural Heritage Digital Exhibition Design Digitisation Methods for Material Culture Digitisation with 360 Degrees Photography Evaluation of Digital Heritage Experiences FAIR Multidimensional Data Photogrammetry 3D Digitisation Metadata on the resources was made available, and they were contributed to DARIAH campus: https://campus.dariah.eu which is both a discovery framework and a hosting platform for DARIAH and DARIAH-affiliated offerings in training and education. - Three 2-3 days face to face workshops trialled this modular approach delivering knowledge focusing on specific research processes. - Contribution to a 20-credit University of Brighton MA module in Curating Collections and Heritage, training early career museum professionals in digital exhibition skills. - Four 70-hour internships which engages digital-skills learners with creative industries, archives, as well as researchers in Higher Education. The internships are framed around a digital project within a project or organisation. - Five 1-hour webinars which cover various topics of interest to the community in a short-accessible format. 7. Enhanced our existing links with various national and international organisations, projects and initiatives with whom we co-develop our activities. 8. At least 500 researchers and practitioners have engaged with these training activities and/or outputs. Our reach is wide as we have engaged with local, national and international organisations, including researchers at the University of Brighton, and other UK Universities, practitioners in GLAMs (e.g. York Museum Trust, British Museum, The National Archives) and international organisations (e.g. National Museums of Kenya, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Trinity College, Ireland). This internationalisation was enabled by additional funding we were successfully granted by the University of Brighton AHRC Impact Acceleration Account. This additional fund allowed us to scale up our activities and test our modular training programme with international researchers through our links with the British Museum Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP). 9. Our web presence and social media allowed us to disseminate these outputs to a wider international audience. Statistics include 1) 150 views of our webinar video recordings in the last 6 months, 2) at least 4K visits (average of 500 visits per month) to the website which includes activities and outputs produced by the project, 3) at least 18K viewers to our Twitter/X posts related to the project activities. 10. Abstracts and presentations delivered at community events presenting results, including the Digital Humanities Congress 2024, and the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association conference. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes including the open framework to embed digital and data literacies within researchers and professionals working with digital infrastructures, can be exploited in the following ways: Using the developed train-the-trainer resources, which cover 9 topics of the curriculum including practical skills and research governance including ethics and IPR, to scale up the training across the HEI and Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum sector. These resources were created open access so that other might benefit and expand on this to adapt them to various needs, including diverse professional and levels of expertise using digital infrastructure. Engaging with the network developed since the project. In particular, the Digital Skills Network in Arts and Humanities (https://culturedigitalskills.org/). Since the project ended, this network has secured funding to continue the efforts developed in the project through fellowships, training and dissemination to expand access to DRI. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Environment Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Government Democracy and Justice Culture Heritage Museums and Collections Retail |
| 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 Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Galleries, Libraries, Museums and Archives sector. For example, University of Brighton students of the Curating Collections and Heritage MA students improved their knowledge on digital exhibition design and evaluation of digital heritage resources, as these aspects constitute an important part of the curators' work in daily heritage practice in GLAMs and beyond. As stated in post-training feedback, they 'had the opportunity to apply the skills in various exhibition scenarios' and felt 'able to utilize digital in an exhibit effectively'. Also, attendees of our training workshops commented that it "opened their eyes about the different options provided. Appreciate all the new software and resources that I now know". Other feedback from workshops' attendees also reveals that the training 'was an eye opener on potentialities of the technology for documenting material culture. It made me think differently about how I could enhance my research especially in terms of dissemination and reaching non-academic audiences'. 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.". Participants applied the acquired knowledge in the field and discussed the change in their professional practices 'after the training it seems very approachable and close to us these new practices learned. When it comes to 3D imaging and our project it's very helpful for us because our project it's about finding different techniques in pots. The best way of showing the traces of the tool used to create a pot is by 3D imaging.'; 'the training has significantly benefited my research by enabling me to create 3D images of the containers I am documenting. This has greatly improved both my presentations and the overall quality of my work'; 'the training at the workshop significantly transformed our workflow for documenting material culture. We incorporated 360-degree photography extensively, which allowed us to create a more immersive experience for our audience Additionally, tools like model annotation and visual storyboarding have become integral parts of our final outputs, enhancing our work beyond just photos and videos. Overall, these changes have fostered a more engaging and comprehensive approach to documenting material culture'. 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.". Apart from changes in their own professional practices, the training has aspired researchers and practitioners to expand their knowledge and pursue further skills in the digital heritage domain, e.g. 'my research has become significantly more digital focused since attending the workshop, to the extent that I am now going to be pursuing a master's in digital archaeology next September to continue developing my skills' and share the knowledge with others, e.g. 'I have been very proactive in sharing the lessons I learnt throughout my cohort. In particular I have helped several of the 3rd year archaeology undergraduate students with the integration of photogrammetry into their dissertations I have also been working on a project with students in the computer science department where I am sharing my skills with photogrammetry to help them produce models for games'. Sharing the acquired knowledge has not only affected the workshop attendees but also the workflows employed by other individuals in the trainees' organisations, e.g. 'I've shared insights and suggested specific tools with colleagues, encouraging them to incorporate these resources into their workflows. We are currently experimenting with these tools to optimize our processes further, fostering collaboration and innovation among team members The lessons learned during the workshop have significantly influenced our organization's approach and practices'; 'I have primarily shared these skills with colleagues working on my container documentation project. Many of them have been independently creating 3D images and sharing their work with the team'; 'So far, the 3D knowledge and skills we learned has been shared with our research team. There has been some informal training in the audiovisual team of the project. Besides that, on an informal level, the knowledge has been shared on social media'. 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. |
| 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 |
| Description | Digital Skills in Arts and Humanities (DISKAH): Transforming Access to Digital Infrastructure and Skills |
| Amount | £503,908 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | APP4595 |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2024 |
| End | 03/2027 |
| Description | Toward a new CCP for Arts, Humanities, and Culture research (CCP-AHC) |
| Amount | £254,510 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | APP57550 |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2025 |
| End | 12/2026 |
| Description | Collaboration with Durham University |
| Organisation | Durham University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | During the project, the PI developed links to other projects funded under the same programme. We coordinated during the project and continue to collaborate in a follow up project funded by STFC focusing also in Digital Skills for the Arts and Humanities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They contributed insights, knowledge and networks in topics such as sound and music heritage, and sound computing. |
| Impact | Beyond an intention to collaborate in broader areas, a follow up funded project was one of the main outcomes of this collaboration. This is the 'Digital Skills in Arts and Humanities (DISKAH): Transforming Access to Digital Infrastructure and Skills' project has been funded by UKRI (Grant No. APP4595). |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with Exeter University |
| Organisation | University of Exeter |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | During the project, the PI developed links to other projects funded under the same programme. We coordinated during the project and continue to collaborate in a follow up project funded by STFC focusing also in Digital Skills for the Arts and Humanities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They contributed insights, knowledge and networks in topics such as linked data and material culture. |
| Impact | Beyond an intention to collaborate in broader areas, a follow up funded project was one of the main outcomes of this collaboration. This is the 'Digital Skills in Arts and Humanities (DISKAH): Transforming Access to Digital Infrastructure and Skills' project has been funded by UKRI (Grant No. APP4595). |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of the Arts, London |
| Organisation | University of the Arts |
| Country | Cuba |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | During the project, the PI developed links to other projects funded under the same programme. We coordinated during the project and continue to collaborate in a follow up project funded by STFC focusing also in Digital Skills for the Arts and Humanities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They contributed insights, knowledge and networks in topics such as inclusive frameworks, and co-design methods for digital skills. |
| Impact | Beyond an intention to collaborate in broader areas, a follow up funded project was one of the main outcomes of this collaboration. This is the 'Digital Skills in Arts and Humanities (DISKAH): Transforming Access to Digital Infrastructure and Skills' project has been funded by UKRI (Grant No. APP4595). |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| 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/ |