Towards a National Data Architecture for Cultural Collections: Designing the Australian Cultural Data Engine

This article summarises the aims, methods, information architecture, outputs, and innovations of the Australian Cultural Data Engine (ACD-Engine), a project that harnesses leading cultural databases to build bridges to research, industry, and government. The project investigates digital heritage collections, data ontologies, and interoperability, building an information architecture to enhance the open sharing of Australian cultural data. Working with a cross-disciplinary team, the ACD-Engine establishes conceptual and technical frameworks for better understanding the platforms and uses of cultural data across a range of national and international contexts. This new cyber-infrastructure advances cultural data aggregation and interoperability whilst prioritising data quality and domain distinctiveness to answer new research questions across disciplines. As such, the ACD-Engine provides a novel approach to data management and data modelling in the arts and humanities that has significant implications for digital collections, digital humanities, and data analytics.