Using Horoscopes to Predict Data Provenance Wacky Idea #1 Athena Starwoman II (AKA Jane Hunter)

Basic Idea Given the creation/birth date of a piece of data or digital object Determine the object’s star sign Generate its astrological chart Predict key events in digital object’s life

Map Predicted Events from Real World to Digital Domain Births/Children = Derivative Objects Deaths = Deletion/Inaccessibility Sickness = Corruption Love/friendship = relationships to other data/objects Travel = change in storage/location Money = Value/IP associated with the object Popularity = Frequency of access

Value-added Services Develop a Provenance Search Interface –Select Object –Ask “What star sign are you”? –Creation date = June 1, 2005 –Starsign = Gemini –Generate and present detailed astrological chart –For example - Subscribe to daily horoscope services for objects in a collection Notify collections manager when key events predicted e.g., death, travel, riches, love Monitor and respond before/when events occur

Benefits Easier than retrospectively determining provenance or recording all event data Only execute as required Save on data/metadata storage – only require creation date Fun, exciting, mysterious Adds a spiritual element to the digital domain