Geophysical prospection methods are growing in importance to the conduct of archaeology around the globe. One reason lies in major advances in instrumentation that have increased speed and sensitivity; another is computerization. Digitally-gathered field data may be downloaded to computers where digital image processing methods filter out noise and regional trends, enhance linear features, improve contrast, and reveal subtle details previously difficult to visualize. The consequences of these advances are:

larger areas may be geophysically surveyed in a given amount of time (surveys of large areas facilitate interpretation of settlement layouts and structure owing to the greater possibility of associations between features and the realization of context);

superior details of subsurface features and depth penetration may be achieved;

regions may be sampled more intensively allowing greater feature resolution;

output may be expressed as imagery that is more readily interpretable to the specialist and non-specialist alike (a buried house foundation can look like one in processed geophysical imagery).

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