Managing archaeological surveys through geospatial information
Data processing and analysis
GIS
Each day the GPS data is converted into ArcView shapefiles for use in a GIS. Attribute
data collected in the field are used to code the survey corridor and depict the survey type.
Shovel test areas and new site locations are added. The final survey corridor and data are
overlaid on USGS topographic and aerial photographic base maps.
Site maps can be produced using GIS that illustrate site boundaries, disturbed areas,
roads, pipeline facilities, distance of site from proposed line, and other features. The
digital data provides a level of accuracy beyond what can typically be gained through
traditional archaeological recording methods. This means that the pipeline company can
more confidently avoid impacts to cultural resources.
Quality control
Each day as the GPS data is processed and reviewed, draft survey and site maps are
posted on a web page and made available for review for final editing by the senior
archaeologist while still in the field. If a discrepancy is noted, it can be resolved
immediately while the crew is still on location.
At the end of each week, all original field maps and notes are copied, bound into
booklets, and made available to the GIS coordinator. The booklets are compared to the
draft maps to aid in quality control of the project data. This step further ensures that
survey information is verified, organized, and centralized on a weekly basis.
Technical and management information
The approach used by The 106 Group has created a new level of project management that
benefits all concerned parties.
GIS perspective
- Since the GIS staff receives and plots data on a daily basis and is in direct
communication with survey teams, data anomalies can be identified and resolved
while the survey teams are still on location.
- Since survey teams follow a predefined route, GIS staff can request specific data to
be captured or verified as the survey crew passes a specific area.
- Data booklets provide an immediate and at-hand method of quality control for the
GIS staff. All field documentation is color copied, bound into booklets and made
available to the GIS staff at end of every week. The format of the field maps and
notes are specifically designed to assist the GIS staff in quality control.
Archaeologist’s perspective
- Standardized data collection and organizational methods prevents crews from
working in isolation. Data collected by multiple survey teams is transferred via the
Internet, processed, and posted to a secure Intranet site. Survey progress and issues
can be addressed as a whole by the entire project team, regardless of location.
- Data booklets reduce the time spent organizing survey information after returning
from the field. The GIS staff is able to have final drafts of all survey maps completed
and on the archaeologist’s desks when they return from the field. The archaeologists
are free to focus immediately on analysis and report writing. If another senior
archaeologist were to inherit the project, he/she could be confident that all the key
information was accurate and available.
- The plotting of survey and site locations is extremely accurate.
Project Management Perspective
- The exact location and progress of each survey team can be tracked in detail based on
the GPS data. Schedules can be projected based on real-time data specific to the
terrain and crew.
- Standardized methods for data collection and mapping facilitates an internal method
to continuously monitor a field archaeologist’s performance regardless of location.
- Real-time data backed up by the data booklets consolidates key project information,
which allows managers to make informed project decisions.
- Artifact curation is streamlined because all artifacts can be tied to a geographic
location, and thereby to landowner information. Form letters could be generated that
include a catalog of all artifacts found on a specific property.
Pipeline company perspective
- Coordination efforts, costs and landowner disturbance due to staking the survey
corridor are reduced.
- Geo-referenced locations of where there are negative archaeological results enhance
the planning process by providing clear, reproducible documentation of areas in
which no cultural resources will be impacted.
- Data booklets provide a means to audit both data quality and the methods employed
in their collection, often a concern with proprietary data.
- Survey coverage and archaeological data are available in a digital format for use in
developing construction and site protection plans.
- The data gathered during the archaeological survey can contribute to other
components of the planning process, thereby consolidating costs.
Conclusion
Pipeline planners should become aware of the potential source of data that an
archaeological survey crew, equipped with sub-meter GPS, can provide. I propose that
you consider the following:
- Federal regulations dictate that archaeology is a necessary component of most
projects and survey crews will be in the field.
- Right-of-way has to obtain landowner permission for every property to be
surveyed by archaeologists.
- As a profession, archaeologists are specifically trained to understand and collect
detailed field information.
- The scopes of archaeological surveys often require archaeologists to literally walk
over and look at every square meter of ground.
- Archaeologists are often one of the first full survey crews on the corridor.
- With this method, the survey crews are already equipped with sub-meter GPS
units, and are electronically transferring their data on a daily basis.
Additionally, GIS professionals and archaeologists have very similar needs and
approaches to their work. Each is trained to collect, analyze, and present detailed
information in a spatial context. Archaeologists are trained and excel at collecting field
information. GIS professionals are excellent at portraying information but can lack
confidence in the accuracy of their source data. Teaming archaeologists with the GIS
professionals may seem like an odd fit at first, but in our experience it has created a
synergy and a wealth of quality information that was never available before.
If a pipeline company’s planners and GIT staff were to define what data should be
captured or confirmed and then consider what portions of that data could be collected
within the archaeological survey, I believe they would discover numerous possibilities. I
suggest that a focused archaeological survey team could provide a GIS department and
their end users, with a variety of field information that can greatly aid in project planning
and in potentially reducing project costs. This method of managing geospatial
information has introduced new levels of control, accuracy, and data collection to
pipeline surveys.
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the creativity and enthusiasm of The 106 Group staff who
assisted in the design and implementation of this new approach to pipeline surveys.
