Australian Cultural Data Engine for Research, Industry and Government

This project aims to develop an Australian Cultural Data Engine (ACD-Engine), which will be an open software engineering facility that interacts with leading existing cultural databases in architecture, visual and performing arts, humanities, and heritage to build a bridge to information and social sciences. The ACD-Engine will unify and expand these disparate and previously unconnected systems to allow advanced analysis techniques to be performed. It will deliver innovative and searchable formats that ensure interoperability, improved search, interactive design and interpretation aids that will benefit the policy and planning for national and international alignments between researchers, industry and government.

The Australian Cultural Data Engine will contribute to the Australian national interest by building a facility for robust, comparative and innovative analysis of the cultural sector. It builds upon rich data assets that exist for sectors including architecture, the visual and performing arts, humanities and heritage, but the project team will improve this data e.g. by mapping demographic, employment, touring and funding, to determine cultural policy, creative and governance outcomes. Its innovative research tools and visualisations will be open source for researchers, government and non-government users, and interface with international cultural frameworks in Europe, the US and UK. Aimed at improving knowledge of the cultural sector, community participation and social resilience, the project will develop new technology outcomes in design, data curation and public engagement, as well as generate a much-needed labour force of flexible, advanced, skilled and diverse data experts identified as a priority by government and high growth technology industries.

Team Members

Chief Investigators

Professor Rachel Fensham, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor George Buchanan, University of Melbourne

Professor John Macarthur, University of Queensland

Dr Deborah van der Plaat, University of Queensland

Dr Scott East, University of New South Wales

Associate Professor Amir Aryani, Swinburne University of Technology

Professor David Carlin, RMIT University

Professor Hugh Craig, University of Newcastle

Associate Professor Joanna Mendelssohn, University of New South Wales

Emeritus Professor Julie Holledge, Flinders University

Dr James Smithies, King’s College London

Dr David McMeekin, Curtin University

Professor Lisa Given, RMIT University

University of Melbourne Project Team

Dr Tyne Sumner, Cultural Data Research Fellow

Dr Trent Ryan, Cultural Data Research Fellow

Dr Nat Cutter, Research Coordinator

Ms Ivy Zheng, Data Engineer

Ms Rui Liu, PhD Candidate