The data in the HPC project is the information gathered from the collection of photographs, whether it’s loose photographs, prints in albums, magic lantern slides, or published books. HPC’s data input is the physical photographs given by from private sources such as individuals and groups who reach out to those involved in the project. They can contribute any media they have, whether from their family history or their relation in China. The output is the collection of information gathered from the original photograph organized in collections to allow for searchable archiving via keywords, searches, and tags.
Metadata collected from photos includes the names of the people in the photos, the location the photo was taken, the date it was taken, the name of the photographer, and whatever other information can be accumulated from a photo. The metadata is important to the photo (data) because it not only gives a better apprehension and sense of context to the photo, but it guides exploration through the archive. Metadata allows for the organization of photos by photographer, location, and historical date.
