=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2119/localpreface
|storemode=property
|title=None
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2119/localpreface.pdf
|volume=Vol-2119
}}
==None==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2119/localpreface.pdf
Towards Co-Designing a Global Biographical Research Infrastructure
Introduction by the Local Organisers of BD2017 @ Ars Electronica
Eveline Wandl-Vogt
Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities (ACDH-ÖAW)
1010 Wien, Sonnenfelsgasse 19
E-mail: eveline.wandl-vogt@oeaw.ac.at
Diversity:
The art of thinking independently together.
[Malcolm Forbes]
Abstract
Following the inaugural conference held in Amsterdam in 2015 (BD2015), the Biographical Data in a Digital World Conference
(BD2017) aimed to continue the discussion on the multidisciplinary investigation of biographical data. Over two days, this conference
brought together international researchers and actors of diverse backgrounds and experiences to facilitate knowledge exchange and
innovation. Hosted by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities (ACDH-ÖAW), this event was
organized in cooperation with Ars Electronica and the DARIAH-EU Working Group “Analyzing and linking biographical data” in
conjunction with Edith Cowan University (AU), Huygens ING (NL), University of Amsterdam (NL) and VU Amsterdam (NL).
BD2017 took place in the framework of the project APIS (Austrian Prosopographical Information System) with the financial support
of Landesregierung Oberösterreich and Linz Tourismus, kindly patronized by the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations
(ADHO). The main aim of the conference was facilitating a co-designing process towards a Global Biographical Research
Infrastructure in various dimensions.
new (relevant) actors and experts beyond
1. Overall Framework: scientific realms;
Biographical Research and experimentation 2. to trigger new directions of discovering
spaces: exploration space & Ars Electronica dimensions of biographical / prosopographical
data research in cross-organisational settings; and
The second edition of „Biographical Data in a Digital
3. to further participatory processes and co-design
World (BD2017)“ Conference was held under the
towards community building as well as
patronage of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS),
integration into existing social infrastructures and
Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities (ACDH-ÖAW), in
(global) initiatives.
collaboration with Ars Electronica Center (AEC), 6-7
November 2017, in Linz (Austria).
Against the background of the ACDH-ÖAW working
group “methods and innovation”- “exploration space”2,
In addition to its international organisational conference
the conference was designed as an experience of diverse
board (Edith Cowan University, Australia; Huygens
actors to come together and to stimulate knowledge
Institute for the History of the Netherlands, Vrije
exchange and innovation. Exploration space aims to
Universiteit Amsterdam and University of Amsterdam, all
stimulate, design, enable and scientifically analyze new
three: The Netherlands) it was granted support by the
forms of knowledge production at the intersection of
Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO) as
science, technology and society by applying Open
well as DARIAH-EU by means of the Working Group
Innovation methods and practices. BD2017 was the first
“Analysing and Linking Biographical Data”.
conference organized against this mission.
The main aims of the local organisers were to facilitate
The conference was embedded into the stimulating
and enable a co-designing process towards the
environment of Ars Electronica Center in Linz (AT)3: “a
development of a Global Biographical Research
place of inquiry and discovery, experimentation and
Infrastructure1:
exploration, a place that has taken the world of tomorrow
More precisely, the core goals of this conference were
as its stage, and that assembles and presents influences
from many different ways of thinking and of seeing
1. to open up the scope of the conference towards
2
1
c.f. various presentations of the author in the framework https://www.oeaw.ac.at/acdh/about/news-archive/news-de
of the Open Innovation Research Infrastructure, such as : tail/article/methods-and-innovation/
3
goo.gl/1U7sjQ . https://www.aec.at/news/
iii
things”. Paul Arthur - Chair in Digital Humanities and Social
Sciences, Director of Global Issues Centre at Edith Cowan
BD2017 aimed to be a low-threshold conference. The University (AU), Georg Gartner - TU Wien, Department
open space of Ars Electronica (a museum rather than a of Geodesy and Geoinformation, Head of Research Group
scientific institution) was a key indicator of this goal; as Cartography (AT), Rennie Mapp - Project Manager for
was the commitment of our financial and in-kind strategic DH initiatives at University of Virginia (US),
supporters to run this event without any registration fees. Tobias Schönberg - Wikimedia Austria (AT), Gerfried
Stocker - Artistic and Managing Director of Ars
Our website runs on Google-Sites: Electronica (AT), and Jo Payne - Head of Biographical
https://sites.google.com/view/bd2017/home. and General Reference at Oxford University Press (UK).
Conference abstracts have been made available in advance
via zenodo [DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1041978]: Finally, at the end of day one the Second Meeting towards
https://zenodo.org/record/1041978#.WybYCIp9jX4 . a Global Research Infrastructure for Biographical
Research, chaired by Paul Arthur (AU) and Eveline
The conference is documented on Wikimedia.Commons Wandl-Vogt (AT) was held. A broad discussion allowed
/BD2017/. For those, who did not up to now: We are for wrapping up of ideas and challenges of day one on the
delighted if you add pictures and presentations. one hand and mapping these onto visions and needs for a
Global Research Infrastructure for Biographical Research;
2. Cross-Organisational Collaborations: and on the other hand input for the interactive session for
People and Institutions day two was collected.
BD2017 focused on bringing together diverse actors to
facilitate cross-organisational discussions in various 3. Format: Interactions, Inspirations and
guided and open formats. Presentations
Representing the various approaches toward biographical Next to 16 oral presentations and a poster session with 10
data in a digital world, BD2017 opened with two keynote posters, about 60 participants were invited to engage with
inputs not primarily connected with biographical data: further sessions that aimed to touch core issues of working
On the one hand, Gerfried Stocker, Artistic and Managing with biographical data and issues of high relevance in
Director of AEC, challenged current research based on co-designing an innovation network for biographical
biographical data against the background of Artificial research. All sessions were co-chaired with the aim of
Intelligence and Internet 4.0. making use of the wealth of diversity.
On the other, Tobias Schönberg, of Wikimedia Austria, The interactive sessions took place in AEC-labs. The labs
introduced the collaborative approach and resource of allowed participants to open up new communication
Wikidata to the audience, challenging scientific channels and new forms of interactions.
biographical research practices (collaboration versus
participatory approaches and democratization) and Session 1 was about Linking and Enrichment of
displayed some of its potentials for biographical research. Biographical Data, co-chaired by Matthias Schlögl (AT),
Katalin Lejtovicz (AT), Antske Fokkens (NL), and Eero
In a multidisciplinary setting, a panel discussion was set Hyvönen (FI).
up to look beyond current biographical data research and
trigger the question of what “Biographical data in a digital Session 2 was digging into Visualisation and Visual
world” might include in 2017 and beyond and how Analysis, co-chaired by Florian Windhager (AT), Eva
researchers might be challenged by new approaches. Mayr (AT) and Alessio Bertone (AT).
The panel, co-moderated by Harold Short (UK) and Session 3 discussed issues of Publication and Openness of
Eveline Wandl-Vogt (AT), introduced the various views Biographical data, co-chaired by Peter Kraker (AT),
of the panelists by means of “cultural probes”. Panelists Bernhard Krabina (AT) and Sarah Herbe (AT).
were asked to give a brief statement considering the most
challenging issues, and further research steps. Finally, session 4 aimed to meet issues of Collaboration
and Co-Creation, co-chaired by Eveline Wandl-Vogt
The panelists were chosen to offer a broad view on (AT), Abbas Salamat (AT) and Jo Payne (UK),
biographical data, on the one hand current biographical representing scientific research (organisations),
research, and on the other looking into various new fields Wikimedia and a company.
of methods and applications / technologies as well as open
up for new approaches for collaboration, and sharing I warmly want to thank all co-chairs of the sessions for
views on research, cultural institutions, firms and citizens. their engagement and willingness to facilitate and grow
the impact of this conference, as well as for their openness
The invited panelists included:
iv
and trust to experiment with the new format.
The less interactive paper presentation sessions were
interrupted by inspirational walk arounds at AEC:
Highlights of Ars Electronica Center
Deep Space4 - Highlights
Deep Space - Specials.
I warmly thank AEC for this unforgettable experience.
4. Follow up and Thank you
The overwhelming impressions taken of AEC and its
options to work and interact with (biographical) data,
stimulated rich visionary discussions amongst the
participants.
BD2017 led to several follow ups, amongst them:
· Application for a UNESCO Chair of Human Journeys
in the Global Era program
· Application for an ADHO Special Interest Group on
Biographical Data Research
· Examples for cross-organisational communications
and first results of collaborations, e.g. Wikidata and
research institutions, Wikimedians in residence in
(biographical) research institutions.
· Activities to develop a Template for easing
communication and collaboration with business
companies on the example of OED
· Increasing activities in the setting of the
DARIAH-EU working group on “Analysing and
Linking Biographical Data”
· Proposal for a DH-conference workshop and a
European Alliance of Digital Humanities
Organisations (EADH): pre-conference workshop
· Proceedings of BD2017.
We are delighted about this variety and richness and we
thoroughly wish the reader a positive experience in further
collaborations in this area.
We gratefully thank our sponsors for their financial and
in-kind support for making this event happen:
Ars Electronica Center
Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities - ÖAW
Landesregierung Oberösterreich
Linz Tourism
APIS (Austrian Prosopographical Information System).
Finally, I would like to thank all the contributors and
enthusiastic participants.
Don’t stop dreaming big and follow your visions! I deeply
appreciated the time in Linz we were exploring together
and look forward to shared next steps.
4
https://www.aec.at/center/en/ausstellungen/deep-space/
v