Startup Idea: Crowdsourced App for Identifying Archaeological Objects

Startup idea to develop a mobile app that allows archaeologists, antiquers, and hobbyists to photograph, measure, and identify various historical items from pottery to coins. Users can sift through expert-created databases for potential matches based on shape, size, and variety of materials. The app includes a feature for user-generated submissions for expanding the database further.

I am an archaeologist who studies ancient Roman ceramics. Although I specifically study pottery, some of the ideas I mention below could be applicable to a wide range of areas of study, including antiquing/"picking", other archaeological disciplines, shape identifications, etc.

Essentially, pottery is studied with respect to three basic things: form or shape, fabric or clay (every clay and pottery workshop uses chemically and [mostly] visibly distinct clay), and size. It would be wonderful to have a crowd-sourced app that would allow an archaeologist to take a photograph of the clay, input the dimensions, and either photograph or upload a drawing of the dimensions.

While I am very aware that this sort of thing would be very specific, the same kind of software could be used in any number of disciplines, including numismatics (coin studies), philately (stamp-collecting), general antiquing, etc., so that people could snap a picture and instantly sort through expert-created databases to find potential matches for the objects in front of them. Most importantly would be shape and color-matching software -- if users were able to upload their own verified images, that would be amazing. Yes, and nothing like this exists.

Submitter: Jennifer Black - (view contact info)