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GIS Archaeology survey Khalid Gourad Khalid Gourad is a GIS consultant in US. gourad@erols.com Archaeology, as a spatial discipline, has used GIS in a variety of ways. At the simplest level, GIS has found applications as database management for archaeological records, with the added benefit of being able to create instant maps. It has been implemented in cultural resource management contexts, where archaeological site locations are predicted using statistical models based on previously identified site locations. It has also been used to simulate diachronic changes in past landscapes, and as a tool in intra-site analysis; although this last application has not enjoyed the same popularity as the others. An online survey was conducted seeking to establish a quantitative approach to the use of GIS in archaeology, its capabilities and limits. The survey consisted of six parts: The first part gave instructions as how to and who should complete the survey, and an approximation of how long doing so should take. The second part asked for information about the participant; his or her name, which was optional; geographic location; title; and degree held. The third part attempted to establish the participants’ familiarity with GIS. The fourth part of the survey determined how the participant used his or her GIS software The fifth part of the survey asked for the impact of GIS on the participant’s research. Finally, the sixth part of the survey sought to establish the participant’s familiarity with GIS issues that potentially skew the results. This part is beyond the scope of this article. For details, visit http://research.hunter.cuny.edu/arch/survey.html About the Participants The project ultimately accepted 140 entries. The list of the geographic location of the participants is given in Table 1.
 Fig 1: GIS Software used by Archeologists (n=115) Support groups are a way of sharing news, suggestions and problems with people that share a common interest. Being part of an online support group is now one of the best ways to find out about common applications of GIS use as well as common mistakes. Thirty two per cent of the participants were members of GIS support groups. Only 6% of the participants attended GIS related conferences on a frequent basis. Going to a conference about a topic is a good indicator of the level of involvement of the participant in that topic.  |