GIS Applications in Archaeology Spotlight!

GIS4260 GIS Applications in Archaeology, Dr. Scott Palumbo

Surface Interpolation

Whether you work with regions, individual sites, or structural remains, archaeologists have traditionally had a need to identify and quantify patterns between samples. Surface interpolation is a common and widespread task that GIS analysts perform and successful archaeological interpretation hinges upon the ability to do this carefully and critically.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Import GPS and AutoCAD coordinate data
• Generate artifact Kernel Density maps
• Compare surface interpolation techniques and resulting interpretations
• Recognize the potential for analyzing archaeological data in Spatial Analyst
• Statistically express confidence and evaluate differences using a t-test (grad students) 

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

The following student was chosen for their exceptional work on the Surface Interpolation assignment:

Jeff McNiven 

About Jeff: Jeff is a senior at UWF working on a B.A. in Maritime Studies.  Originally from Dearborn Michigan, he currently lives in Mulberry/Lakeland Florida; located in Central Florida.  Jeff spent 8 years (1988-1996) in the U.S. Navy as an Aerographer, which he defines as a fancy naval term meaning meteorologist.  During that career he enjoyed working exclusively with a computer called T.E.S.S. (tactical environmental support system).  It dealt with loads of maps, graphs and charts, so the GIS program seems like a logical fit for him.  Jeff’s GIS goal is to focus on the archaeology track and combine this knowledge with Maritime Studies.  Welcome to the spotlight Jeff!

What we like: One of the nice things about Jeff’s presentation of his results is that he split Panama and Ecuador into two posters. He also assigned a different color symbology to each of the interpolation techniques. You may notice this choice stayed relatively consistent between the two posters, with Kriging and Spline illustrated with the same color ramp. This choice helps to facilitate reader interpretation. Well done Jeff!