Spatial Technology and Archaeology: The Archaeological Applications of GIS

250 Pages·2002·11.13 MB·English

by  David Wheatley

Spatial Technology and Archaeology
Spatial Technology and Archaeology
The archaeological applications of GIS
David Wheatley
University of Southampton
and
Mark Gillings
University of Leicester
London and New York
First published 2002 by Taylor & Francis
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ISBN 0-203-30239-7 Master e-book ISBN
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ISBN 0-415-24640-7 (pbk)
Rosina, Alice and Ellen (DW)
Cabes (MG)
Contents
LIST OF FIGURES x
LIST OF TABLES xiii
PREFACE xiv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xv
1. ARCHAEOLOGY, SPACE AND GIS 1
1.1 Spatial information and archaeology 2
1.2 Thinking about space 4
1.3 Neutral space and quantification 5
1.4 Meaningful spaces 6
1.5 What is a GIS? 7
1.6 An anatomy lesson 8
1.7 Where did GIS come from? 11
1.8 What does it do that makes it so attractive to archaeologists? 14
1.9 The development of GIS applications in archaeology 15
1.10 Conclusion 17
2. THE SPATIAL DATABASE 19
2.1 How does a spatial database differ from a traditional database? 19
2.2 Thematic mapping and georeferencing 21
2.3 Projection systems 24
2.4 Further complications 26
2.5 Spatial data models and data structures 28
2.6 Vector data structures 29
2.7 An example of a ‘Simple’ vector structure 32
2.8 Raster data layers 44
vi
2.9 Which is best—vector or raster? 50
2.10 A note on thematic mapping 51
2.11 Conclusion 51
2.12 Further information 52
3. ACQUIRING AND INTEGRATING DATA 53
3.1 Sources of spatial data 53
3.2 Sources of attribute data 54
3.3 Clarifying the relationship between spatial and attribute 54
3.4 Integrating spatial information—map-based data 56
3.5 Integrating spatial information—co-ordinates 62
3.6 Integrating spatial information—survey data 64
3.7 Integrating spatial information—images 66
3.8 Integrating spatial information—existing digital resources 73
3.9 Integrating attribute data 73
3.10 Data quality 74
3.11 Metadata and interoperability 77
3.12 Conclusion 78
4. MANIPULATING SPATIAL DATA 79
4.1 This is where the fun starts 79
4.2 Searching the spatial database 80
4.3 Summaries 83
4.4 Simple transformations of a single data theme 87
4.5 Spatial data modelling 92
5. DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELS 95
5.1 Uses of elevation models 95
5.2 Elevation data in maps 96
5.3 Storing elevation data in GIS 98
5.4 Creating elevation models 101
5.5 Products of elevation models 106
5.6 Visualisation 111
vii
5.7 Summary 111
6. BEGINNING TO QUANTIFY SPATIAL PATTERNS 113
6.1 What is spatial analysis? 114
6.2 Identifying structure when we only have points 114
6.3 Spatial structure among points that have values 118
6.4 Spatial structure in area and continuous data 120
6.5 Structure in lines and networks 121
6.6 Comparing points with spatial variables: one- and two-sample tests 123
6.7 Relationships between different kinds of spatial observations 126
6.8 Exploratory Data Analysis 128
6.9 And there is more… 130
6.10 Spatial analysis? 131
7. SITES, TERRITORIES AND DISTANCE 133
7.1 Buffers, corridors and proximity surfaces 134
7.2 Voronoi tessellation and Delaunay triangulation 135
7.3 Cost and time surfaces 137
7.4 Site catchment analysis and GIS 144
7.5 Conclusion 147
8. LOCATION MODELS AND PREDICTION 148
8.1 Deductive and inductive approaches 149
8.2 Inputs and outputs 149
8.3 Rule-based approaches 151
8.4 Regression-based approaches 153
8.5 An example: predictive modelling in action 157
8.6 Methodological issues in predictive modelling 159
8.7 The prediction predicament: theoretical differences of opinion 161
8.8 Conclusions 162
9. TREND SURFACE AND INTERPOLATION 163
9.1 Characteristics of interpolators 164
9.2 Point data 165
viii
9.3 Trend surface analysis 166
9.4 Approaches that use triangulation 169
9.5 Approaches that use splines 170
9.6 Numerical approximation 172
9.7 Geostatistics and Kriging 174
9.8 Summary 177
10. VISIBILITY ANALYSIS AND ARCHAEOLOGY 179
10.1 The importance of visibility in archaeological analysis 179
10.2 Archaeological approaches to visibility 180
10.3 How does the GIS calculate visibility? 182
10.4 Visibility within samples of sites—the cumulative viewshed 184
10.5 Visibility of groups of sites—multiple and cumulative viewsheds 185
10.6 Problems with viewshed analysis 186
10.7 Intervisibility and reciprocity 187
10.8 How archaeologists have applied visibility analyses 189
10.9 Critiques and developments 191
11. CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 193
11.1 The importance of spatial technology for heritage management 193
11.2 Archaeological resource as continuous variation 195
11.3 Reality: the antidote to GIS 197
11.4 Seeing the wood for the trees: Dolmen database and GIS 199
11.5 Regional heritage management: Hampshire County Council 202
11.6 National and supra-national contexts 204
11.7 Conclusions: recommendations for the adoption of GIS 205
12. FUTURE DIRECTIONS 207
12.1 The current state of GIS applications within archaeology 207
12.2 The developing shape of GIS applications within archaeology 210
12.3 Technological development of GIS 211
12.4 Object-Oriented GIS (OO-GIS) 212
12.5 Multi-dimensional GIS (3D-GIS) 214
ix
12.6 Temporal GIS (TGIS) 215
12.7 Technological convergence and field archaeology 216
12.8 Building a research community 218
REFERENCES 219
INDEX 231