Archaeology... it's the future!

[mercenary]

Squeejay,

I recall seeing somewhere that the Silchester project had purchased photogrammetry software. Do you know how this is being used, and with what results? Presumably it is not being used on traditional upstanding buildings, but rather as a plannning aid for large open area excavations or to model subsurface features?

[Shuggy]

Hi Emma and Hal,

Thanks for responding to this. Just thought I should clarify on of the points.

[*]The database VERA is using (the IADB) is a fully web based application whereas the intrasis system is stand alone.

While the system is stand-alone it is networked, currently all site users are looking at the same database over a network. In the future we hope to be able to have the data run over a wider network that will allow the database to sit on a server at Fort Cumberland. This will allow all project members to view the same data. The current set up only allows non-field staff to view and manipulate the data once excavation has completed.

Hugh

[BAJR Host]

can several people manipulate / alter data?

"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers

[Shuggy]

quote:Originally posted by Windbag

Is anyone aware of what the latest thinking/guidelines are regarding digital archiving? For example, I've been advised always to use TIF format for digital photographs, as jpgs degrade in quality. I'm sure archivists have given digital records a lot of thought. What rules/regs/advice have you gotten about archives?

The first place you need to go is the ADS, they have Guides to Good Practice on a lot of this stuff. Including http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides...index.html
Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork: Guide to Good Practice
While the technology is changing most of the principals of good practice have presisted.

I'm still waiting for someone to set me straight on a few points about jpeg deterioration my understanding is that they recompress everytime they are opened and resaved, not thankfully everytime they are viewed. This means if I open it in say Photoshop put a watermark on the image and save it again as a JPEG the image will be re-compressed and quality lost. TIFF images do not.


Hugh

[Shuggy]

quote:Originally posted by BAJR Host

can several people manipulate / alter data?

As Intrasis is run over a network there is one database and several machines to view this database. This ensures changes to the data and data entry occur to the same database. At Dover and Richborough all site staff were involved in entering and manipulating the data.

Hugh

[Shuggy]

quote:I agree with Mercenary on the potential of close-range colour photogrammetry. The ability to process these images quickly on site and to add layers of interpretative data was essential to the recording process at Silbury, and in my view it worked extremely well. More recently I've seen some fantastic work done at Wilanow Palace near Warsaw by Polish National Heritage Board (Kobidz) archaeologists where colour photogrammetry of soft deposits and masonry structures was carried out, with interpretation added, and the results seemed to be the most effective integration of buildings and excavation recording and presentation that I've seen so far.

The digital photogrammetry from Silbury is impressive. It should be pointed out that it has generated a very large data set Okay, what is a large file today is small tomorrow but can't blindly walk into capturing such large datasets as it has longer term implications. The ADS Big Data project has done some really good work on this http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/bigdata/

Any work that relies on 3d scanning or photogrammetry at least for the next few years will require high powered computers and high costs for long-term archiving that can't be ignored.

Hugh

[Hal Dalwood]

Hi Shuggy.

Thanks for your comments, this is a most useful discussion. I seem to remember there was an EH event earlier this year where the application of Intrasis on EH projects was demonstrated - or is that my imagination? If so, are any more demo. events planned?

Hal Dalwood

Bad archaeologist, worse husband

[Unitof1]

Everythings an event with eh

my permatrace is better than your database

ftp://88.208.250.116/ducke-reeves-open-arch.pdf

My my Delilah

Didnt west-hes solve everybodys computing thingy, cant remember who funded it.

[kevin wooldridge]

quote:[i]Originally posted by Shuggy The digital photogrammetry from Silbury is impressive. It should be pointed out that it has generated a very large data set Okay, what is a large file today is small tomorrow but can't blindly walk into capturing such large datasets as it has longer term implications. The ADS Big Data project has done some really good work on this http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/bigdata/

Hi Hugh,

How big is big in real terms for the Silbury files? I wonder because the Big Data project (2007) suggests that we should be getting worried over archaeological projects generating digital data in excess of 200gb. Why is that a worry? Earlier this year I bought a 500gb hard drive, size of a 200g bar of chocolate and it cost me less than £50.

I think the real long term implications of Big Data are that we treat the means of data capture and data storage as the cheapest part of the task, but that we much more focus the spending on the manipulation of the data. I mean after a while another 360 degree manipulated 3-D model hardly sets the heart a fluttering, but the potential of the application of archaeological theorising to very large and varied data sets is genuine throbbing gristle.

And of course English Heritage and its celtic counterparts, should be leading the way on this.....

[Austin Ainsworth]

Kevin,

How about lots of projects producing archives needing +200 Gb of storage space, an archive of mine may need in excess of 4 Tb of bandwidth to upload and store and that's just one archive, imagine the implications on a national scale. the cost for 4 Tb of storage on two 2 Tb external hard drives would be in the region of £800, upload costs to a secure accessible server are also a factor to consider. Data storage and associated upload costs are much more than your model assumes. It may be worth talking to the ADS, or similar digital archive specialists, before making assumptions about the true cost of digital archiving.