The GDR "Silex", a Four-Year Review of Open Access experience

Started in 2019, the Research Group (GDR) "Silex" is a consortium of about fifty researchers from various institutions interested in the diagnosis and transfer of siliceous raw materials during Prehistory. The research is structured around three complementary axes:1. questioning the reliability of different analysis methods (axis 1);2. enriching the data corpus through the use of harmonized tools (axis 2);3. reflecting on the archaeological implications induced by methodological transformations over the last 15 years (axis 3).A transversal axis concerns publication and communication strategies with the aim of making data as accessible as possible. For these works, it was necessary to harmonize the vocabulary, build data recording tools, and develop exchange and visualization platforms. Inventory files of about fifteen lithotheques and the results of surveys conducted by GDR members since 2019 are now directly shared online under a free license specific for France (Etalab 2.0) compatible with the CC-BY license. This publication is based on a server and a mapping application (ArcGisOnLine) and a data warehouse (Nakala). The whole system enables georeferenced and descriptive data and associated images at different scales to be shared. Today, the data chain from their production to their publication, is a structured process, which enables to answer to the questions and constraints of archaeologists. The whole system allows both the enhancement of old data and the implementation of new surveys and characterizations data. The handling of these tools is facilitated through initial training sessions organized annually and follow up by various GDR members in charge of data validation. As a true collaborative platform, the proposed tool allows for the pooling of work at each one's place, in a spirit of data sharing and protection and in compliance with FAIR principles.