Beyond monitoring. Reimagining DHeLO as a Linked Open Data infrastructure for Cultural Heritage research

Giacomo Mancuso

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2025, 36.1, 443-454; doi: 10.19282/ac.36.1.2025.24

Abstract

This article presents the transformation of DHeLO (Digital Heritage Landscaping Platform) from a relational database into a Linked Open Data (LOD) infrastructure, designed to enhance the discoverability, interoperability, and reuse of digital resources within Cultural Heritage (CH), Heritage Science (HS), and Digital Archaeology (DA) research. Initially conceived within the H2IOSC project as a virtual observatory for cataloguing digital products, tools, and research projects, DHeLO has been restructured as a service-oriented system in response to emerging community needs and a broader reflection on its role. The transition was guided by insights gained from landscaping activities conducted within Work Package 2, including questionnaires and interviews with members of the DH, DA, and HS communities. The new configuration of DHeLO integrates metadata on research outputs, projects, people, and bibliographic references, laying the foundation for a knowledge graph that mirrors the research landscape. A key step in this evolution was the adoption of Omeka S as the core platform, chosen for its modularity, semantic interoperability, and synergy with Zotero, which supports the integration of the BiDiAr bibliographic database. In this form DHeLO aspires to become an active research resource, moving beyond mere monitoring to foster exploratory analysis and linked knowledge networks.

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