Lecture on Open Source GIS for Irish Archaeology. Bective Abbey Excavation project 2011

Bective Abbey, 15th of July 2011OPEN SOURCE GIS FOR IRISH ARCHAEOLOGYHow to produce “clever” mapsGianmarco Cattariwww.you-gis.com

From Mortimer Wheeler’s time...Maps are and have always been a fundamental part of archaeology.Maps are an interpretation of the footprints of ancient civilization which are carved into the present landscape. Before computers were invented maps were made by hand using: or and INTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

...to Google Earth’s timeToday we use computers and the internet to produce archaeological maps.“But what technology and what software will I use in order to produce my archaeological map?”INTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

Commercial versus Free SoftwareSoftware can be classified into two main categories depending on the usage license:Commercial SoftwareOpen Source SoftwareINTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

The meaning of Open Source SoftwareOpen Source software is released under the GNU license. Find out more about it at www.gnu.org. One of the most popular of these is the General Public License (GPL).Open Source software is developed by a very active world wide community of volunteer developers who work hard in order to improve the software’s capabilities.Open source softwares are commonly known because they are FREE, but what does free mean exactly?INTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

What is free software?“Free software” is a matter of freedom, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”More precisely it means that the program users have the four essential freedoms:The freedom to run the program for any purpose.The freedom to study how the program works and to change as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.The freedom to distribute copies of your modified version to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes.

Types of software…Software classification by technical specification:Capacity of using graphic symbols and colour schemes.Geo-referenced working space using geographic coordinatesMerged graphics, attributes and statisticsINTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

Types of softwareSoftware classification by technical specification:Data compatibiliy with web mapping (see Google Maps)Raw data can be stored into databasesData can be queried and filtered by complex SQL operationsINTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

What’s “clever” mapping?www.you-gis.comINTRODUCTIONA “clever” map is a combination of data formats:vector files (lines, points and polygons)

geo-referenced images Through GIS we produce these type of maps

What’s “clever” mapping?www.you-gis.comINTRODUCTIONA “clever” map is also made with spatial analyses operations such as:buffering

digital terrain model construction

reconstruction of ancient landscape

pathway cost analysisWhat’s “clever” mapping?www.you-gis.comINTRODUCTIONWith “clever” mapping raw spatial data can be:stored into a remote database and get worldwide and password protected access

linked into an excavation recording database

queried and filtered through SQL operations

published on the internet with Web GIS

uploaded into Google Earth/Maps

uploaded onto any GPS deviceGIS = Geographic Information System A Geographic Information System (GIS) is designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and present all types of geographically referenced data. In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database technology. GIS may be used in archaeology, geography, cartography, remote sensing, land surveying, public utility management, natural resource management, precision agriculture, photogrammetry, urban planning, emergency management, environmental contamination, landscape architecture, navigation, aerial video and localized search engines.INTRODUCTIONwww.you-gis.com

Site Excavation MapTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGYwww.you-gis.com

Site Location MapTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGYwww.you-gis.com

Site Location Map related to specific road projectTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGYwww.you-gis.com

Site Location Map related to two specific projectsTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGYwww.you-gis.com

Site distribution map on hillshade/slopeRed dots represent Neolithic tombs in Sardinia (Italy)Lack of settlement on low slope/upland ground (centre of image)Yellow circles highlight two settlement patterns preferring high slope groundwww.you-gis.comTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

www.you-gis.comTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

Pathway cost analyses map for DolmenTHESE TYPE OF MAPS ARE USED FOR CALCULATING THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO OR MORE POINTS Blue dots represents Neolithic Dolmen in Sardinia (Italy)Dolmen are located near rivers which could have been the main roadways on high slope groundRed line represents the quickest way to cross the region from SE to NWwww.you-gis.comTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

The Viewshed MapTYPES OF MAPS IN ARCHAEOLOGYThese maps show you which areas are/aren’t visible from a specific point on the ground. They are very useful for sites which have an important role in visual landscape control (ringfort, castles, castle motte, towers etc...) www.you-gis.com

Lecture on Open Source GIS for Irish Archaeology. Bective Abbey Excavation project 2011

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Lecture on Open Source GIS for Irish Archaeology. Bective Abbey Excavation project 2011