1 Introduction

1.1 Aim

Our company was engaged to develop a software-system with the working title ''Archaeological Data System - ADS'' which first of all shall:

• Provide an interface via the world-wide-web enabling our customer to enter archaeological data such as tombs, settlements or artefacts into a central database.
• Enable third parties to query the database for information via the world-wide-web.
• Present the data via a virtual museum.

We are responsible for the design and implementation of this system including the following points:

• Web-front-end to manipulate and display data.
• The design and implementation of the database itself.
• Maintain these services.
• Host the database on a server or at least administrate this work.
• Devise a management of rights for different usergroups:
  • Data collectors: They can enter and manipulate general data concerning the archaeological objects. They also can define relationships between different types of data or specific records. Data collectors also can edit the virtual museum where the objects are to be presented.
  • Scientific data collectors: They can also enter and manipulate data (even more specific one, such as publications concerning the archaeological objects). Again they have the option of defining relationships as mentioned before as well as editing the virtual museum. So this group is something like an extension of the data collectors.
  • Designers: They are responsible for the design of the museums/rooms/showcases. They do not have the right to modify data in the database.
  • Visitors: They will just have the option to query the database for information as well as to walk through the virtual museum.

  • Administrators: The administrators will be able to do anything they want within the system, so they have the ability to maintain and repair small but urgent concerns, perhaps via the internet.

1.1.5 Virtual Museum

The software-system shall include a virtual museum where the visitors can walk through and zoom into descriptions of archaeological objects and artefacts. The museum shall not host all the data collected as the customer wants to perform special exhibitions on current topics. The visitors have the ability to search here for archeoligical artefacts. As a result they will get a descritpion how to get to the desired item in the museum. If one selects an item in a showcase he is given the available data from the database.

A museum will initially have three floors, each of which consist of about ten rooms. In every room there are several showcases which can contain various archeological artefacts each. The designer has the ability to design the museums.

1.2 System Environment

• Hardware: ADS will be hosted by our company. We will be responsible for readiness for use and maintenance of the system and also accessibility via the internet.
• Software: The demand of software for the ADS-users is very small. Only an OS and a web-browser is required.
• Data: The database will initially contain about 4000 records (each has about 20 attributes) of archeological data. Every year there will be about 400 new records to enter the database. Since the customer himself is responsible to fill the database we don't need to know anymore.

• Users: The system distinguishes between five user-groups. Four active groups who can change the database and one passive group (visitors) who can only query the database. The visitors will be the ones accessing ADS most of the time (about 100 hits at a time), while (scientific) data collectors will use it approximately twice or three times per day (400 new entries per year plus manipulations of existing data). The administrator is expected to work very few with the system.