Mission & Scope

Mission statement

The INFRA-ART Spectral Library is a FAIR data service designed as a digital support tool for heritage research specialists working with spectroscopic techniques. Our mission is to support researchers, conservators, and heritage professionals by providing open access to high-quality spectral data on materials commonly found in works of art, archaeological artifacts, and other heritage or cultural goods.

Scope of the service

The INFRA-ART Spectral Library serves as a comprehensive, dynamic database tailored for specialists working with (portable) non- or minimally invasive spectroscopic techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, or Raman spectroscopy, among others. With over 2,000 curated spectra, the database allows users to analyze and compare the spectral signatures of a wide range of reference materials, facilitating the identification of 'unknown' samples.

The INFRA-ART Spectral Library has been designed, implemented, and optimized over several years, and it currently integrates ATR-FTIR, XRF, Raman and SWIR reflectance spectra on over 1000 different materials typically found in works of art. This integrated approach offers a comprehensive understanding of the sample composition and structure, providing end-users with access to a more complex dataset that can facilitate a more accurate identification and characterization of unknown materials.

Key features

  • » Complementary spectral data: By incorporating various types of data, the INFRA-ART database provides multiple levels of characterization for each sample (elemental, molecular, structural), allowing users to cross-validate their findings and reduce potential ambiguities.
  • » Curated spectra: The database is assembled, curated, and maintained by application experts to ensure the highest standards of data quality. The curation process involves rigorous quality control to verify the integrity and reliability of the data, with each spectrum carefully reviewed and validated before inclusion.
  • » Ongoing compilation of spectra: New reference samples are being integrated within the database on an ongoing basis as new reference materials become available.
  • » Wide selection of materials: INFRA-ART covers a wide selection of materials, including materials not represented in other databases, such as an impressive number of earth pigments from different geological sources, special effect pigments (such as metal effect pigments, pearlescent pigments or daylight fluorescent pigments), or traditional Japanese painting materials such as iwa-enogu.
  • » Rich metadata: Each reference material in the database is accompanied by a series of detailed metadata descriptors, including sample source, origin, description, alternative names, chemical composition, and history of use. Additionally, metadata on the spectroscopic techniques employed and data acquisition conditions are provided, offering comprehensive context for accurate analysis and comparison.
  • » Search engine: To enhance functionality and accessibility, the INFRA-ART database features an advanced search engine that allows users to easily search by keywords, material class, or data type.
  • » Spectra viewer: An interactive spectra viewer tool is integrated into each sample webpage, allowing users to interact with the loaded spectrum. Users can zoom, pan, select points, label peaks, and save spectra images, providing a dynamic and hands-on approach to data analysis.
  • » Flexible architecture: The implementation of a bottom-up flexible architecture enables seamless expansion of the database to incorporate additional types of analyses and data formats. This scalable design ensures the system can evolve over time, adapting to new research needs and emerging technologies, while maintaining compatibility with various analytical tools and platforms.
  • » Open & FAIR Compliance: The database is implemented according to the FAIR Guiding Principles, ensuring accessibility, transparency, and sustainability. This resource supports cross-disciplinary research and enables reliable data reuse for research, innovation, and educational purposes.

Data metrics

1028 Reference materials.

2167 Spectral data.

Last update: Feb. 20, 2025

Indexing / Data service catalogues

Contributors

INFRA-ART Project Coordinator:

Ioana Maria Cortea

Database design:

Ioana Maria Cortea

Database development and implementation:

Alecsandru Chiroșca

Laurențiu-Marian Angheluță

Ioana Maria Cortea

Data curation:

Ioana Maria Cortea

Luminița Ghervase

Lucian Ratoiu

Data FAIRification:

Ioana Maria Cortea

Related publications

  • • I.M. Cortea (2024) Towards FAIR data management in heritage science research: updates and progress on the INFRA-ART Spectral Library, in Heritage, 7(5), 2569-2585; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7050123
  • • I.M. Cortea et al. (2023). INFRA-ART spectral library: a new open access infrastructure for heritage science. In Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks XIII. Proceedings of the International Conference on Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks XIII (LACONA XIII), 12-16 September 2022, Florence, Italy. S. Siano, D. Ciofini, Eds.; CRC Press, pp. 37-47. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003386872-5
  • • I.M. Cortea et al. (2023). INFRA-ART: An open access spectral library of art-related materials as a digital support tool for cultural heritage science, in ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage 16(2), 40. https://doi.org/10.1145/3593427

    • Funding

    The INFRA-ART Spectral Library was originally developed within the INFRA-ART postdoctoral project, funded by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS - UEFISCDI (Grant No. PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2019-1099) under PNCDI III. To enhance and expand its analytical capabilities, additional funding was secured through the OPEN-SciART project, supported by the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitization, CNCS - UEFISCDI (Grant No. PN-IV-P2-2.1-TE-2023-2019) within PNCDI IV.

    Additional funding has been provided by the European Union via the FAIR-IMPACT EU Project to improve the FAIR-enabling capabilities of the INFRA-ART Spectral Library and align it more closely with EOSC guidelines. This includes:

    • • Support Action #2: Developing EOSC-compliant interoperability policies based on the EOSC Interoperability Framework (IF).
    • • Support Action #3: Testing a trustworthy and FAIR-enabling repositories prototype to enhance data accessibility and reliability