Software and hardware systems for collecting and analyzing archaeological data

Abstract

© SGEM 2019. Both in science and industry, tailor-made software and hardware systems simplify and speed up the process of obtaining new knowledge or creating new products. Geoscientists have come to rely on geodetic instruments, various sensors and analyzers (for determining physical and chemical properties of soils, air, rocks) and data processing software in their research. Hardware complexes always come with their original software for primary and secondary data processing. These complexes are often aimed at a range of users and are not suitable for specialized or contextually relevant tasks (for example, archaeological field surveys). The efficiency of archaeological research can be enhanced by automating the process of data collection and standardizing descriptive characteristics of objects such as color, structure and composition in order to eliminate any possibility of biased assessments. In this paper, software and hardware systems specifically designed to facilitate archaeological data collection and analysis are presented. In particular, tools for ESRI ArcMap and Agisoft Metashape were designed for GIS project creation, data collection, photogrammetric imaging of each excavation layer and its contents. In addition, two proprietary hardware complexes are presented: An automated spin table for photogrammetric imaging and a colorimeter with an additional module for analyzing individual layers of the excavation. Finally, the method for creating GIS projects and collecting data layer-by-layer is offered.