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Preliminary Syllabus

Information Technologies

Archaeology, Anthropology and Geography

Click here for more details on the class

Instructors: W. Fredrick Limp and Dori Gould

Thursdays 7-9:20 PM RM 208 Ozark Hall

Overview

Practical skills in information technology are rapidly becoming a requirement for archaeologists, anthropologists and geographers. In the last few years, with the explosive growth of powerful personal computers, the world-wide-web, and interactive media, the importance of computing has dramatically increased. One area of information technologies, geographic information systems, have become an essential tool for analysis and management. Equally important is the need for precise location information that can be produced by global positioning systems. This semester-long course is designed to provide students with the conceptual background as well as an introduction to practical skills in current information technologies. It is designed for both those with little computing backgrounds and those who wish to improve their existing skills in a non-threatening setting.

Texts (available through bookstore)

Ross, Seamus, Jonathan Moffett and Julian Henderson

1991 Computing for Archaeologists. Oxford University Committee for Archaeology,

Monograph No. 18. Oxford. (Ross in schedule)

Gaffney, Vincent and Zoran Stannic

1991 GIS applications to regional analysis: the case study of the island of Hvar.

Znanstveni institut FF:Ljubljana (Hvar in schedule)

Additional readings are available in the reserve reading room and the ANTH reading room.

Topics to be covered include:

Designing and managing databases for historic properties, inventories and objects

Making the World Wide Web work for you in finding information and publishing your own

Linking existing data with geographic information systems

Creating the virtual project, using the Internet to link researchers and managers

Separating the information from the noise using computerized systems to analyze complex properties and objects

Improving field and lab recording: using laser range finders, digital photography and other information technology (IT) systems for inventory, analysis and publication

Moving beyond the written page: creating multimedia reports and public displays

In the GIS and GPS sections of the course the students will:

learn how to access the tremendous amount of existing spatial data from public and private sources,
learn the basics of the NAVSTAR system - the Department of Defense program that makes GPS possible,
have hands-on training in using Trimble GeoExplorer and Pro X/L receivers in the field,
use a 12 channel GPS base-station to provide differentially corrected data.
use digital field data loggers and design a data-dictionary,
learn effective field techniques, mission planning and post-processing,
use real-time GPS systems for instantaneously corrected field data with sub-decimeter accuracy,
use GPS-linked laser ranging systems,
learn the basics of geographic information systems, what works and what doesn't ,
loaded data derived from their field exercises into both vector and raster GIS systems,
integrate their own data with existing data,
perform map analysis and map production,

The class will be taught in the state-of-the-art computer training labs of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies.

In addition to class activities each student will be required to develop an individual World Wide Web "page" that provides information and access to information (bibliography and URLs) on a topic selected by the student and approved by the instructors. The complete page will be paced on the CAST server and made available to the public.
(return to overview)

Schedule:

Week 1 Introduction to course, lab hardware, World Wide Web and e-mail. Introduction to course. Introduction to Windows NT operating systems. Readings: Ross 1-11. Take home assignment: Role playing essay, due at start of next class.

(Lecture 1 notes and on-line materials)

Week 2 Introduction to Databases What are databases and what are they used for, student discussion;. Learn how to import and manipulate data using the Excel spreadsheet as a primitive database paradigm; using a small selection of objects define observations to record and structures for recording data into the database.

Reading: Ross pp. 97-126 and 153-200.

(Lecture 2 notes and on-line materials)

Week 3 Conceptual process in database design. Thought processes for design of the Arkansas Archaeological Survey's DELOS and AMASDA systems.

Readings Carr, C., editor, For Concordance in Archaeological Analysis 1985 p. 87-113, Hilliard, Jerry and John Riggs, AMASDA Site Encoding Manual, AAS Technical Paper No 1. Cande, Cathy, Delos Manual, AAS Technical Manual.
(Lecture 3 notes and on-line material)

Week 4 Database practicum Utilize AMASDA to obtain information about Middle Fork area. Create a small database using Microsoft Access.

(Lecture 4 notes and on-line material)

Week 5 Introduction to GIS and Computer Mapping

Readings: Kvamme, K. In Archaeological Method and Theory 1 M. Schiffer editor pg. 139-203, Hvar pages15-88.

Week 6 Introduction to GPS technology

Readings: Trimble publications

Feb 15-Sat Field mapping exercise with GPS in Middle Fork Valley

Week 7 GIS and Computer Mapping (Continued) practicum. Utilizing site data from AAS develop maps of site distributions in the Middle Fork Area.

Readings: Limp, W. And P. Smith, Environmental parameters of the Rush Locality and Limp, W., Intersite analysis: aboriginal use of the Rush locality in Sabo et al 1990 Archaeological investigations at 3MR80-Area D in the Rush Development Area, Buffalo National River. NPS Southwestern Cultural Resources Center Professional Paper No 38.

Week 8 GIS Applications, predictive modeling and other application

Readings: Allen, K. S Green and E. Zubrow, editors. Interpreting Space pages 141-164, 201-215 and 239-273.

Week 9 Introduction to statistical applications

Readings Ross pg. 55-95
(Lecture 9 notes and on-line materials)

Week 10 GIS & Statistics practicum

Mar 20. Spring Break?

Week 11 Presentation of results, publication

Readings: Ross 127-152 , Rahtz, Hall and Allen "The development of dynamic archaeological publications" in Reilly, P. and S. Rahtz, editors, 1992, Archaeology and the Information Age, Routledge, London.

Week 13 Presentation practicum Make charts, etc. with Middle Fork data. Using Power Point and Web tools.

Week 14 Visualization of data and sites practicum. 3D Modeling using Modelview and Voxel Analyst. Wood and Chapman "Three dimensional computer visualization of historic buildings" and P. Reilly, "Three dimensional modeling and primary archaeological data" in Reilly, P. and S. Rahtz, editors, 1992, Archaeology and the Information Age, Routledge, London.

Week 15 Share Results With comments from other students, compare time periods

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