Chris
That is one major reason why PDF files (Acrobat) represent the most sensible
way forward...the ability to keep the link between text and illustration is
maintained.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wardle, Chris (DSD) [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 03 September 2001 13:29
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Formats for digital archiving of reports
>
> Jim,
>
> I confess to not having given this topic much thought since the last SMR
> User Group in York, mainly as I have yet to persuade the County
> Archaeologist of the future importance of getting data in digital form.
>
> It strikes me that there is a potential problem here; namely that
> assessment and evaluation reports do not consist solely of text. Most have
> at least one modern map, at least one historic map, and some have
> additional site plans, drawings and photographs. I'm not sure whether it
> is sufficient to specify Word and am quite certain that ASCII can't cope
> with all this. Word for all its shortcomings is at least a standard. Do
> similar standards apply to maps, drawings and photos?
>
> So what should we do? Only get the text in digital form?
>
> Perplexed
>
> Chris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: South Yorks. Archaeology Service
> [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 03 September 2001 11:35
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Formats for digital archiving of reports
>
>
> Dear all on the list,
> We've recently been discussing the format in which digital versions of
> reports from fieldwork should be submitted to the SMR and I thought it
> would be useful to broaden the discussion out onto SMRForum. The
> important questions of digital archiving of reports that I think might be
> addressed are: in what form should we be archiving, and why?
>
> In the past in South Yorkshire, we have specified two formats in our
> briefs: MS Word or compatible format (but NOT WordStar) and ASCII format.
> The reasons were that Word and compatible formats could be read/imported
> into the Microsoft software we use, and ASCII could be pasted directly
> into SMR entries, where appropriate. The exclusion of WordStar is a
> historical leftover from the heady days of cheap Amstrad PCs. (These had
> WordStar as standard but Word didn't have a conversion filter in its
> standard installation. I think one is now available on the MS web page).
>
> I recently reviewed some data sent to us and realised that the Lotus
> AmiPro format it was provided in could also not be imported easily into
> Word. While trying to resolve this, I got to thinking about what we were
> actually intending to do with this data and whether perhaps ASCII format
> was sufficient for our needs. This must principally be dictated by what
> we want to do with the data. My own feeling is that I'd like,
> eventually, for reports to be downloadable in their original format from
> the web (either from ADS or another web-site, I presume).
>
> The question is, of course, if we're thinking towards this, what
> format we want? Is ASCII adequate? Should we be looking at a
> web-friendly format such as Acrobat? Is there some other ideal format?
> We need to be requiring reports in an appropriate format ASAP but first we
> need to know why we want them and whether we can continue to use what they
> give us.
>
> There are, as always, the questions of copyright and who's going to
> pay. Ah, the old digital saga....
> I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> Regards,
> Jim
>
> Jim McNeil, South Yorkshire Archaeology Service
> 3 September, 2001
>
>
>
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