MAD is an application designed to store, manage and browse structured and unstructured archaeological datasets encoded in a semantic format. It can be used as an on-line tool or can be easily integrated with existing or newly developed applications.

It was created using Open Source technologies and is entirely based on XML and W3C standards, to act as the ideal framework for integrating and sharing data coming from diverse archives and encoded using ontologies such as the CIDOC-CRM .

MAD includes modules to encode entire datasets in a semantic format using an on-the-fly mapping mechanism driven by mapping templates (like the ones created using the AMA tool). Converted archives can be stored in the native XML database on which MAD is built, and immediately available for browsing and querying.

MAD provides a semantic browser with faceted browsing interfaces to access and filter information stored in the XML database in an innovative and meaningful way. MAD query features include simple, complex and semantic query. Basic geographic query features are also provided. MAD modules are flexible and extensible enough to implement a semantic engine for any kind of context requiring semantic capabilities.