9th February 2011, 12:49 PM
Intrasis - which Kevin has mentioned above - is a very good tool for on-site recording of all finds as they come pretty well out of the ground, and each one has a UI for the word go, in addition to their context number. Furthermore, if you have plotted in 3-D (as opposed to shaken the finds off the end of your shovel, for example) then you have each individual sherd in its place, without the need to create and mange two sheets of paper - context records and small finds sheets - they are already integrated in the database.
Moreover, digital photographs can be attached to the record on the go, rather than trawling through contact sheets squinting at out-of-focus (cos the there's half the site on the lens, for example) or scratched (cos the there's half the site in the camera, for example) negs missing photographic board, or streaming photgraphic board, and trying to tie neg numbers to photo sheet numbers, not to forget that someone didn't realise that the camera counts down and they'd counted up when taking the snaps and have modified it on the hoof and... so forth.
As it's a GIS you can print out as small or big an area of site to hunt for elusive features, integrating rectified historic maps, where necessary.
Field-staff can start the post-ex in the field, rather than leave it to someone else to sort out in post-ex; i would in fact suggest that digital recording has when used democratically the potential to be one of the most empowering tools for field staff.
I wish more were done on my sites like that. But it is too expensive for small units. I am a bit cheesed off right now cross referencing my Access database and then copying data and dumping it into excel and then into the word doc. This probably also says more about skill-set with Access and so forth than i would usually admit to...xx(
Moreover, digital photographs can be attached to the record on the go, rather than trawling through contact sheets squinting at out-of-focus (cos the there's half the site on the lens, for example) or scratched (cos the there's half the site in the camera, for example) negs missing photographic board, or streaming photgraphic board, and trying to tie neg numbers to photo sheet numbers, not to forget that someone didn't realise that the camera counts down and they'd counted up when taking the snaps and have modified it on the hoof and... so forth.
As it's a GIS you can print out as small or big an area of site to hunt for elusive features, integrating rectified historic maps, where necessary.
Field-staff can start the post-ex in the field, rather than leave it to someone else to sort out in post-ex; i would in fact suggest that digital recording has when used democratically the potential to be one of the most empowering tools for field staff.
I wish more were done on my sites like that. But it is too expensive for small units. I am a bit cheesed off right now cross referencing my Access database and then copying data and dumping it into excel and then into the word doc. This probably also says more about skill-set with Access and so forth than i would usually admit to...xx(
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