RAMSES: A Mobile Computing System for Field Archaeology (original) (raw)
Wearable Computing for Field Archaeology
2001
Following a successful field trial in the Tiber Valley, just North of Rome in Italy, it became apparent that wearable computing could potentially have a major role to play in the collection of data on archaeological sites. This work is focussed on providing in-field support for archaeologists, by the application of wearable technologies. Since there are many technologies already in use for collecting information out in the field, this work attempts to provide the key to connect together all of these technologies. A wearable field assistant was seen as a sensible central technology round which to base an information and communications infrastructure that could ultimately lead to savings in both cost and time and would hopefully maintain or even increase the ability to record accurate data in the field.
In February 2015, a workshop on the current state of mobile computing in archaeology and the future of digital archaeological workflows—entitled Mobilizing the Past—was convened at Wentworth Institute of Technology. The workshop’s purpose was to bring together pioneers in archaeology and computing to discuss the development and use of mobile device technology to advance digital archaeology, i.e., fully digital recording systems aimed at creating born-digital data in the field in ways that advance projects’ research agendas. Archaeologists working at sites around the globe, including those in Israel and Cyprus, shared their insights and critiques on digital field recording techniques, tools for on-site spatial and imaging analysis, workflows, student pedagogy, as well as systems of data management and long-term curation. This paper’s goal is to share the workshop’s results in order to challenge Near Eastern archaeologists to think about how mobile computing workflows impact the practice and interpretive value of archaeology. Papers presented at the Mobilizing the Past workshop brought to light the pros and cons of converting to digital or “paperless” workflows, and also the issues and challenges that will likely dominate the discourse on future attempts to digitize archaeological data “at the trowel’s edge” including: time management, cost, data quality and quantity, systems’ design, usability, and interpretive power, and data democratization. Overall, this paper sheds light on the best practices in mobile computing in archaeology that emerged from the workshop and emphasizes their potential to improve current archaeological practices.
ARCH DATA APK: Mobile computing in the service of archaeological research
Journal of Greek Archaeology, 2024
The ARCH_DATA application is a mobile computing application developed with the aim of creating a more manageable and simplified process of data collection through archaeological field survey. The name comes from ‘Archaeological Data’ and refers to the application’s archaeological survey functions. It’s a program for collecting, analyzing, and maintaining all of the field survey’s data –archaeological, cultural, and environmental. Furthermore, it creates a geospatial archaeological database that is simple to integrate into a GIS environment. The ARCH_DATA application has a number of benefits, first and foremost its simplicity of use. Like all mobile applications, it only requires the user to have a mobile device as their primary logging device. It adapts to the requirements of each archaeological survey by simply modifying the fields of interest to correspond to the demands of each team. There is no limit to the number of entries a user can import, and there is no restriction on the number of people who can use the app at the same time.
Mobile devices: a tool for tourism and learning at archaeological sites
International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2012
The study analyses data obtained from the implementation of public programmes that utilise mobile devices at archaeological sites. The work documents that the two main uses for such devices are augmented reality (AR) and geocaching games involving GPS equipment. The paper notes the educational opportunities presented by the use of these devices. The work concludes that the programmes achieve good general results, are well rated by users, raise interest and are motivating. However, published ratings are limited and very descriptive, and evaluation standards are poor.
The wide availability of networked mobile devices provides a reliable platform for the development of the so-called communication engine for museums and cultural tourism. This research presents and discusses a novel open framework, which can be employed to augment the visitor’s experience and present targeted information in a personalised audio-visual interactive manner on users’ personal mobile devices. The proposed approach employs state of the art augmented-reality technologies enabling users to sample the information through the use of their personal mobile devices. Instead of using tagging systems such as visible quick response (QR) markers, users are directed to 1) stand on specific appropriately marked information points, 2) scan the area with their appropriately configured mobile device, and 3) access specific geographical or artefact-based ontologies that may include digitally restored buildings in 3D, audio-visual information on specific artefacts and/or other information of interest with directions to access other information points. The proposed framework may be employed at varying levels of complexity, enabling the development of archaeological edutainment scenarios and games. The use of the proposed technology has multiple advantages, such as 1) highly specialised hardware is not required, 2) devices can function in both open and closed spaces, 3) the quality of presentation adapts according to the device used, and 4) further information may be accessed as full interaction is supported. In this paper, we review the literature and present technologies and related research that may be employed for the presentation of archaeological information. We also describe the proposed open framework, followed by a presentation of a sample application, --Additional uses are proposed in our conclusions
2020
Nazarij Buławka Department of Near Eastern Archaeology Institute of Archaeology University of Warsaw Poland nazar.bulawka@gmail.com Abstract Ever since field survey has become an important method in researching ancient communities we can observe improvement of its technological and theoretical aspects. Nowadays, rapid urban sprawl and intensified agriculture lead to the increasing destruction of sites and archaeological landscapes throughout the globe. Thus, an adequate low budget strategies is needed, that will able help to document, preserve, study and manage all what is left. The introduction of GIS and GNSS mobile applications opened a such possibility. At the 2017 CAA meetings in Atlanta, the authors organized a session entitled “Mobile GIS in archaeology – current possibilities, future needs”, at which the current issues and possibilities were discussed. The session resulted in this summary paper. The main aim of the paper is to re-evaluate the contemporary concept of the surv...
The D.E.A.D. Project: An Application for the Digital Recording of Archaeological Data
This paper presents a prototype application named Digital Excavation Archaeological Diary (D.E.A.D.). D.E.A.D. is an application for the digital collection and recording of archaeological data in the excavation field, with the use of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and the automated registration of the collected data to archaeological and museum digital files. The software relies on real archaeologists' requirements. The main scope of the application is to speed up the processes of the archaeological research digitalisation and registration and thus the acceleration of the publication of archaeological research.
Digital recording in archaeological excavation using Tablet PC
The paper presents the use of tablet pc in archaeology, it explains what is a tablet PC and the steps to draw archaeological remains using a digital photomosaic. It’s described the test made during the experience in the roman town Grumentum in South Italy (2006). The use of a tablet pc in archaeological excavation is a powerful tool for digital documentation. This work explains a method to take advantage of this new hardware using directly during the excavation. The advantages offered by this hardware are that one obtains precision, quick recording times and the possibility to manipulate big data during an excavation. During Grumentum experience the working area (12m x 13m) was divided in small rectangles (2m x 1,5m) and every single rectangle was photographed using a digital camera and rectified on site. The topography and location of finds are recorded using total station. All data are imported into tablet PC, where the digital photoplan was available to draw directly on the screen. In this last step in the tablet PC it was possible to draw the shapes and layers of single objects and stratigraphic layer. In general the digitalization is made in a second step in laboratory, using tablet pc it’s possible reduce time and it’s possible to draw directly on the excavation. This recording operation is the data entry of a excavation GIS that constitutes one portion of the general GIS of the archaeological site. The obvious advantage is the immediate data realization without necessity of inspections succeeded.