Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-30T07:28:20.013Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Operation of the Harwell UK 14C Data Base and its Expansion Through Data Exchange with Other Laboratories1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

A J Walker
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Accelerator Laboratory, Oxford, UK
R L Otlet
Affiliation:
Centrum voor Isotopen Onderzoek, Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen, The Netherlands
R A Housley
Affiliation:
Centrum voor Isotopen Onderzoek, Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen, The Netherlands
Johannes van der Plicht
Affiliation:
Centrum voor Isotopen Onderzoek, Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen, The Netherlands
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The use of computer data bases for storage and retrieval of 14C data is a logical application for the rapidly expanding numbers of 14C determinations. Harwell has established a data base for all samples originating from sites in the United Kingdom and Eire. The core of the data is the Council for British Archaeology's published Index of Radiocarbon Dates which we are expanding to include all Harwell UK dates released for publication by the submitters plus dates from other laboratories both within and outside the UK. As a demonstration of the feasibility of direct database-to-database communication, cooperation has been sought from Groningen and Oxford to transfer computer files containing 14C results for UK sites. Neither of these laboratories use the same system as Harwell for their in-house data base and this exercise highlights the importance of a transfer language for both the national and international schemes as it is no longer practical to carry out such procedures through keyboard typing.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 The American Journal of Science 

References

Engelsman, FMR, Mook, WG and Taayke, E, in press, Operation of the Groningen 14C data base. In Internatl symposium, Archaeology and 14C, 2nd, Proc. PACT. Google Scholar
Engelsman, FMR, Taayke, E and Mook, WG 1986 Groningen 14C data base. In Stuiver, M and Kra, RS, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 12th, Proc. Radiocarbon 28 (2A): 788798.Google Scholar
Gulliksen, S 1983 Radiocarbon data base, a pilot project. In Stuiver, M and Kra, RS, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 11th, Proc. Radiocarbon 25 (2): 661666.Google Scholar
Gupta, SK and Polach, HA 1985 Radiocarbon dating practices at ANU, Handbook. Radiocarbon Lab, Australian Natl Univ, Canberra, Australia.Google Scholar
Kra, RS, in press, Establishing a radiocarbon data base. In Internatl symposium, Archaeology and 14C, 2nd, Proc. PACT .Google Scholar
Kra, RS, 1988 Updating the past: The establishment of the International Radiocarbon Data Base. Am Antiquity 53 (1): 118125.Google Scholar
Kra, RS, 1989 The International Radiocarbon Data Base: A progress report. In Long, A and Kra, RS, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 13th, Proc. Radiocarbon 31 (3): 10621069.Google Scholar
Lavell, C, compiler 1971 Archaeological site index to radiocarbon dates for Great Britain and Ireland. British Archaeol Abs Supp , Council Br Archaeol, London.Google Scholar
Moffett, JC and Webb, RE 1983a Database management of radiocarbon dates. In Aspinall, A and Warren, SE, eds, Symposium on archaeometry , 22nd, Proc. Univ Bradford, UK: 6772.Google Scholar
Moffett, JC and Webb, RE 1983b Data base management systems, radiocarbon and archaeology. In, Stuiver, M and Kra, RS, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 11th, Proc. Radiocarbon 25 (2): 667668.Google Scholar
Mook, WG 1986 Proposal of European scientific and technical network in the field of radiocarbon. Anniversary mtg, PACT study group , 10th, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.Google Scholar
Selsing, L and Simonsen, A 1986 Using dBase II for retrieval of radiocarbon data. Radiocarbon 28 (3): 10551059.Google Scholar
Walker, AJ, Charlesworth, SA, Otlet, RL and Lavell, C, in press, Setting up the CBA Index of UK radiocarbon dates as a micro- computer data base. In Internatl symposium, Archaeology and 14C, 2nd, Proc. PACT. Google Scholar
Walker, AJ and Kra, R 1988 Report on the International Radiocarbon Data Base (IRDB) workshop, archaeology and 14C conference, Groningen, The Netherlands. Radiocarbon 30 (2): 255258.Google Scholar
Wilcock, JD, Otlet, RL, Walker, AJ, Charlesworth, SA and Drodge, J 1986 Establishment of a working data base for the international exchange of 14C data using universal transfer formats. In Stuiver, M and Kra, RS, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 12th, Proc. Radiocarbon 28 (2A): 781787.Google Scholar