Gis And Archaeological Site Location Modeling

Although archaeologists are using GIS technology at an accelerating rate, publication of their work has not kept pace. A state-of-the-art exploration the subject, GIS and Archaeological Site Location Modeling pulls together discussions of theory and methodology, scale, data, quantitative methods, and cultural resource management and uses loc

Although archaeologists are using GIS technology at an accelerating rate, publication of their work has not kept pace. A state-of-the-art exploration the subject, GIS and Archaeological Site Location Modeling pulls together discussions of theory and methodology, scale, data, quantitative methods, and cultural resource management and uses location models and case studies to illustrate these concepts. This book, written by a distinguished group of international authors, reassesses the practice of predictive modeling as it now exists and examines how it has become useful in new ways. A guide to spatial procedures used in archaeology, the book provides a comprehensive treatment of predictive modeling. It draws together theoretical models and case studies and explains how modeling may be applied to future projects. The book illustrates the various aspects of academic and practical applications of predictive modeling. It also discusses the need to assess the reliability of the results and the implications of reliability assessment on the further development of predictive models. Of the books available on GIS, some touch on archaeological applications but few cover the topic in such depth. Both up to date and containing case studies from a wide range of geographical locations including Europe, the USA, and Australia, this book sets a baseline for future developments.

The use of GIS is the most powerful technology introduced to archaeology since the introduction of carbon 14 dating. The most widespread use of this technology has been for the prediction of archaeological site locations. This book focuses on the use of GIS for archaeological predictive modeling. The contributors include internationally recognized researchers who have been at the forefront of this revolutionary integration of GIS and archaeology, as well as first generation researchers who have begun to critically apply this new technology and explore its theoretical implications.

Geographical Information Systems has moved from the domain of the computer specialist into the wider archaeological community, providing it with an exciting new research method. This clearly written but rigorous book provides a comprehensive guide to that use. Topics covered include: the theoretical context and the basics of GIS; data acquisition including database design; interpolation of elevation models; exploratory data analysis including spatial queries; statistical spatial analysis; map algebra; spatial operations including the calculation of slope and aspect, filtering and erosion modeling; methods for analysing regions; visibility analysis; network analysis including hydrological modeling; the production of high quality output for paper and electronic publication; and the use and production of metadata. Offering an extensive range of archaeological examples, it is an invaluable source of practical information for all archaeologists, whether engaged in cultural resource management or academic research. This is essential reading for both the novice and the advanced user.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and related spatial technologies have a new and powerful role to play in archaeological interpretation. Beginning with a conceptual approach to the representation of space adopted by GIS, this book examines spatial databases; the acquisition and compilation of data; the analytical compilation of data; the anal

Archaeologists have employed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software in the generation of predictive models for over thirty years. In the interest of creating a state wide predictive model, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) commissioned a pilot study in seven counties (Cabarrus, Chatham, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Randolph and Wake) of the Piedmont region. The primary goal of this thesis was to quantitatively examine the applicability of the Piedmont model to the Coastal Plain environment, specifically Pitt County. This thesis has demonstrated that the Piedmont predictive model does translate well to the Coastal Plain. Additionally, the predictive power of a model employing a generalized archaeological database (the Coastal Plain Model) was tested against a model employing a time period specific archaeological database (Coastal Archaic and Coastal Woodland models, respectively). The Coastal Archaic and Coastal Woodland models proved to have more predictive power than the Coastal Plain. A third research question analyzes the settlement decisions of archaic and woodland groups which are inferred from statistical data.

This book describes a novel machine-learning based approach to answer some traditional archaeological problems, relating to archaeological site detection and site locational preferences. Institutional data collected from six Swiss regions (Zurich, Aargau, Grisons, Vaud, Geneva and Fribourg) have been analyzed with an original conceptual framework based on the Random Forest algorithm. It is shown how the algorithm can assist in the modelling process in connection with heterogeneous, incomplete archaeological datasets and related cultural heritage information. Moreover, an in-depth review of past and more recent works of quantitative methods for archaeological predictive modelling is provided. The book guides the readers to set up their own protocol for: i) dealing with uncertain data, ii) predicting archaeological site location, iii) establishing environmental features importance, iv) and suggest a model validation procedure. It addresses both academics and professionals in archaeology and cultural heritage management, and offers a source of inspiration for future research directions in the field of digital humanities and computational archaeology.

Case studies that act as a guidebook to archeologists on the uses of least cost analysis using GIS methodologies

Archaeological 3D GIS provides archaeologists with a guide to explore and understand the unprecedented opportunities for collecting, visualising, and analysing archaeological datasets in three dimensions. With platforms allowing archaeologists to link, query, and analyse in a virtual, georeferenced space information collected by different specialists, the book highlights how it is possible to re-think aspects of theory and practice which relate to GIS. It explores which questions can be addressed in such a new environment and how they are going to impact the way we interpret the past. By using material from several international case studies such as Pompeii, Çatalhöyük, as well as prehistoric and protohistoric sites in Southern Scandinavia, this book discusses the use of the third dimension in support of archaeological practice. This book will be essential for researchers and scholars who focus on archaeology and spatial analysis, and is designed and structured to serve as a textbook for GIS and digital archaeology courses. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Geographical Information Systems has moved from the domain of the computer specialist into the wider archaeological community, providing it with an exciting new research method. This clearly written but rigorous book provides a comprehensive guide to that use. Topics covered include: the theoretical context and the basics of GIS; data acquisition including database design; interpolation of elevation models; exploratory data analysis including spatial queries; statistical spatial analysis; map algebra; spatial operations including the calculation of slope and aspect, filtering and erosion modeling; methods for analysing regions; visibility analysis; network analysis including hydrological modeling; the production of high quality output for paper and electronic publication; and the use and production of metadata. Offering an extensive range of archaeological examples, it is an invaluable source of practical information for all archaeologists, whether engaged in cultural resource management or academic research. This is essential reading for both the novice and the advanced user.