Trent Valley GeoArchaeology
Predictive Modelling of Multi-Period Geoarchaeological Resources at a River Confluence
Geographical Information System (GIS)
A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used for the storage and exploration of data, linking together aspects of geomorphology and archaeology in spatial and chronological dimensions. The investigation of an area of cultural landscape requires the collection of data from a range of sources involving both field based and desk based research. These strands of information are then placed together within a GIS, allowing relationships between variables to be visualised and explored.
A GIS is a spatially referenced database. Each variable can have a large number of attributes (categories) stored with it, giving a description of that variable. Data can be stored either as point data (e.g. an archaeological site), line data (e.g. a river) or as a vector polygon (e.g. an area of river terrace). These data can then be displayed and queried as a series of layers. Raster or image data, such as aerial photography or lidar surfaces, can also be integrated into the GIS for comparison and analysis. The three dimensional capabilities of the GIS were used to allow the visualisation of the surface and subsurface geomorphology in a pseudo-3D deposit model.
The project GIS has been made available to the public via the two following methods:
-
GIS files to download and display in Google Earth.
-
A restricted access ArcIMS viewer.
