The c.21-strong MAEASaM project team is located in eight countries and has worked on a wide range of activities with in-country collaborators, from the intricate task of digitising multiple, varied heritage information to standardising these data to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). The project in Phase 1 has been structured around a clear workflow of tasks and deliverables, summarised below.
| Workflow | Phase 1 | Why important |
|---|---|---|
| Arches Development and Documentation | 8 Resource Models | The backbone of the database |
| 2079 vocabularies relevant to African archaeology. | Consistent terminological collections that are standardised for ease of searchability. | |
| Arches prototyping, testing and modifications. | Multiple iterations through stakeholder feedback. | |
| Data management plan (DMP) created. | Data back-ups, systems maintenance. | |
| User documentation created. | Project workflows mapped and shareable (eg. Gihub). | |
| Digitisation of archaeological site information | 31,461 legacy site records located and digitised. | Paper-based information safeguarded from potential loss. Disparate, inaccessible information converted to consistentlyformatted, shareable digital data. |
| 1,024,656 square kilometers systematically surveyed through visual inspection of satellite imagery with 67,748 sites mapped. | Detection and digitisation of archaeological sites/features previously undocumented. | |
| Advanced remote sensing applications deployed and assessed. | Prediction and image classification methods for the detection of archaeological features. | |
| Creation of a Visual Glossary covering different archaeological features. | A resource for remote sensing interpretation and identification of a diversity of African sites for specialised audiences and general public. | |
| 11 field verification missions & development of mobile data recording form using KoboCollect. | Validation of remote sensing techniques, correction of heritage locations and updated site assessments. | |
| Qualitative data assessments. | Assessment of data accuracy and reliability. | |
| Dissemination and Communication | 64,127 visits to www.maeasam.org. | Public engagement. |
| 7 issues of project newsletter (355 subscribers). | Communicating project activities and milestones. | |
| Social media @maeasamproject. 2,477 followers. | Weekly updates and highlights. | |
| 16 local and international conferences attended with 29 papers presented. | Disseminating results and building networks. | |
| 5 online public workshops run with MAHSA project. | Sharing skills in core project themes including data management, use of historical maps, remote sensing. | |
| 2 Regional collaborator workshops. | Building collaboration and sharing knowledge and database training. |