The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospection, and the need for an archaeology-specific data processing workflow is well known. It is therefore ...surprising that little attention has been paid to the key element of processing: an archaeology-specific DEM. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to describe an archaeology-specific DEM in detail, provide a tool for its automatic precision assessment, and determine the appropriate grid resolution. We define an archaeology-specific DEM as a subtype of DEM, which is interpolated from ground points, buildings, and four morphological types of archaeological features. We introduce a confidence map (QGIS plug-in) that assigns a confidence level to each grid cell. This is primarily used to attach a confidence level to each archaeological feature, which is useful for detecting data bias in archaeological interpretation. Confidence mapping is also an effective tool for identifying the optimal grid resolution for specific datasets. Beyond archaeological applications, the confidence map provides clear criteria for segmentation, which is one of the unsolved problems of DEM interpolation. All of these are important steps towards the general methodological maturity of airborne LiDAR in archaeology, which is our ultimate goal.
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The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospection. However, as a step towards theoretically aware, impactful, and reproducible research, a more ...rigorous and transparent method of data processing is required. To this end, we set out to create a processing pipeline for archaeology-specific point cloud processing and derivation of products that are optimized for general-purpose data. The proposed pipeline improves on ground and building point cloud classification. The main area of innovation in the proposed pipeline is raster grid interpolation. We have improved the state-of-the-art by introducing a hybrid interpolation technique that combines inverse distance weighting with a triangulated irregular network with linear interpolation. State-of-the-art solutions for enhanced visualizations are included and essential metadata and paradata are also generated. In addition, we have introduced a QGIS plug-in that implements the pipeline as a one-step process. It reduces the manual workload by 75 to 90 percent and requires no special skills other than a general familiarity with the QGIS environment. It is intended that the pipeline and tool will contribute to the white-boxing of archaeology-specific airborne LiDAR data processing. In discussion, the role of data processing in the knowledge production process is explored.
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This article presents the archiving of archaeological digital datasets in Slovenia in its historic context. The datasets discussed have been separated into three categories: non-reproducible ...datasets, reproducible datasets, and registries. Several reproducible datasets created by ZRC SAZU have been freely available online since the early 2000s, but the number of users is small and those benefiting often do not adhere to clearly stated copyright limitations. There is a large discrepancy between the stated interest and the actual usage of reproducible, let alone non-reproducible, online datasets disseminated as open access. In addition, adherence to fair use cannot be expected unless enforced. The key outcome of this study is that it has exposed a total absence of systemic archiving practice for non-reproducible digital datasets. The article concludes with recommendations and next steps that could be taken to address these issues in future. First and foremost, a systemic approach to digital archiving is urgently needed if the irreversible damage to the decades worth of born-digital non-reproducible digital data is to be averted.
Identifying bare-earth or ground returns within point cloud data is a crucially important process for archaeologists who use airborne LiDAR data, yet there has thus far been very little comparative ...assessment of the available archaeology-specific methods and their usefulness for archaeological applications. This article aims to provide an archaeology-specific comparison of filters for ground extraction from airborne LiDAR point clouds. The qualitative and quantitative comparison of the data from four archaeological sites from Austria, Slovenia, and Spain should also be relevant to other disciplines that use visualized airborne LiDAR data. We have compared nine filters implemented in free or low-cost off-the-shelf software, six of which are evaluated in this way for the first time. The results of the qualitative and quantitative comparison are not directly analogous, and no filter is outstanding compared to the others. However, the results are directly transferable to real-world problem-solving: Which filter works best for a given combination of data density, landscape type, and type of archaeological features? In general, progressive TIN (software: lasground_new) and a hybrid (software: Global Mapper) commercial filter are consistently among the best, followed by an open source slope-based one (software: Whitebox GAT). The ability of the free multiscale curvature classification filter (software: MCC-LIDAR) to remove vegetation is also commendable. Notably, our findings show that filters based on an older generation of algorithms consistently outperform newer filtering techniques. This is a reminder of the indirect path from publishing an algorithm to filter implementation in software.
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Abstract This data paper presents Arkas 2.0, a national research database and research infrastructure containing data on all archaeological sites and monuments in Slovenia. The new database is a ...hybrid cloud microservice built on low-code platforms (Caspio and ArcGIS Experience builder) and augmented by generative ai (ChatGPT-3.5). The data paper describes the Arkas 2.0 dataset and how it fits into the research context by discussing the challenges archaeologists face in setting up and curating datasets and the associated digital infrastructure. In response to these challenges, the data paper highlights the benefits of low-code platforms and ai -augmented code for archaeological research. It also describes the Arkas 2.0 development workflow, its new data structure, and its archiving process. The data paper concludes by suggesting that the use of low-code platforms combined with generative ai can democratise access to cutting-edge digital research infrastructure, bringing positive disruption to archaeology and the humanities.
Airborne LiDAR is a widely accepted tool for archaeological prospection. Over the last decade an archaeology-specific data processing workflow has been evolving, ranging from raw data acquisition and ...processing, point cloud processing and product derivation to archaeological interpretation, dissemination and archiving. Currently, though, there is no agreement on the specific steps or terminology. This workflow is an interpretative knowledge production process that must be documented as such to ensure the intellectual transparency and accountability required for evidence-based archaeological interpretation. However, this is rarely the case, and there are no accepted schemas, let alone standards, to do so. As a result, there is a risk that the data processing steps of the workflow will be accepted as a black box process and its results as “hard data”. The first step in documenting a scientific process is to define it. Therefore, this paper provides a critical review of existing archaeology-specific workflows for airborne LiDAR-derived topographic data processing, resulting in an 18-step workflow with consistent terminology. Its novelty and significance lies in the fact that the existing comprehensive studies are outdated and the newer ones focus on selected aspects of the workflow. Based on the updated workflow, a good practice example for its documentation is presented.
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Historically, mastery of writing was deemed essential to human progress. However, recent advances in generative AI have marked an inflection point in this narrative, including for scientific writing. ...This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the capabilities and limitations of six AI chatbots in scholarly writing in the humanities and archaeology. The methodology was based on tagging AI-generated content for quantitative accuracy and qualitative precision by human experts. Quantitative accuracy assessed the factual correctness in a manner similar to grading students, while qualitative precision gauged the scientific contribution similar to reviewing a scientific article. In the quantitative test, ChatGPT-4 scored near the passing grade (−5) whereas ChatGPT-3.5 (−18), Bing (−21) and Bard (−31) were not far behind. Claude 2 (−75) and Aria (−80) scored much lower. In the qualitative test, all AI chatbots, but especially ChatGPT-4, demonstrated proficiency in recombining existing knowledge, but all failed to generate original scientific content. As a side note, our results suggest that with ChatGPT-4, the size of large language models has reached a plateau. Furthermore, this paper underscores the intricate and recursive nature of human research. This process of transforming raw data into refined knowledge is computationally irreducible, highlighting the challenges AI chatbots face in emulating human originality in scientific writing. Our results apply to the state of affairs in the third quarter of 2023. In conclusion, while large language models have revolutionised content generation, their ability to produce original scientific contributions in the humanities remains limited. We expect this to change in the near future as current large language model-based AI chatbots evolve into large language model-powered software.
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The rapid expansion of the Slavic speakers in the second half of the first millennium CE remains a controversial topic in archaeology, and academic passions on the issue have long run high. ...Currently, there are three main hypotheses for this expansion. The aim of this paper was to test the so-called “hybrid hypothesis,” which states that the movement of people, cultural diffusion and language diffusion all occurred simultaneously. For this purpose, we examined an archaeological Deep Data set with a machine learning method termed time series clustering and with emerging hot spot analysis. The latter required two archaeology-specific modifications: The archaeological trend map and the multiscale emerging hot spot analysis. As a result, we were able to detect two migrations in the Eastern Alps between c. 500 and c. 700 CE. Based on the convergence of evidence from archaeology, linguistics, and population genetics, we have identified the migrants as Alpine Slavs, i.e., people who spoke Slavic and shared specific common ancestry.
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Archäologisches LiDAR hat sich zu einem unverzichtbaren Bestandteil der archäologischen Prospektion und Landschaftsarchäologie entwickelt. Allerdings wird es häufig als digitale Blackbox-Methode ...eingesetzt, was es auf den Bereich eines Spezialgebiets einschränkt. Die Zugänglichkeit, Transparenz und Reproduzierbarkeit wissenschaftlicher Publikationen ist einer der Schritte, die notwendig sind, um LiDAR zu einer Hintergrundmethode für alle Archäologen zu machen. Dies ist nach unserem Vorschlag durch das Konzept des Executable Map Paper möglich. Dieses Konzept kann als eine Art von ausführbarem Papier verstanden werden, das die Ziele von Open Science verfolgt. Die vorgeschlagene technische Lösung besteht aus einem PDF-Frontend, einer Persistenzschicht und einer mit Hyperlinks versehenen interaktiven Karte. Executable Map Paper ist auf alle kartenabhängigen Wissenschaften anwendbar, einschließlich Geographie, Geologie und alle Geowissenschaften. In diesem Beitrag werden der theoretische Kontext umrissen, technische Lösungen vorgeschlagen und eine praktische Veranschaulichung gegeben.
Archaeological LiDAR has evolved into an indispensable component of archaeological prospection and landscape archaeology. However, it is frequently employed as a black-box digital method, which confines it to the realm of a specialized field. Making scientific publications more accessible, transparent, and reproducible is one of the steps required to turn LiDAR into a background method for all archaeologists. This is possible, according to our proposal, through the Executable Map Paper concept. This concept can be understood as a type of executable paper that pursues Open Science's goals. The proposed technical solution consists of a PDF frontend, a persistence layer, and a hyperlinked interactive map. Executable Map Paper is applicable to all mapdependent sciences, including geography, geology, and any geoscience. In this paper, we outline the theoretical context, propose technical solutions, and provide a practical illustration.
Le LiDAR archéologique est devenu un élément indispensable de la prospection archéologique et de l'archéologie du paysage. Cependant, il est souvent utilisé comme une méthode numérique "boîte noire", ce qui le cantonne à un domaine spécialisé. Rendre les publications scientifiques plus accessibles, transparentes et reproductibles est l'une des étapes nécessaires pour faire du LiDAR une méthode de base pour tous les archéologues. Cela est possible, selon notre proposition, grâce au concept de document cartographique exécutable. Ce concept peut être compris comme un type de document exécutable qui poursuit les objectifs de l'Open Science. La solution technique proposée consiste en un frontal PDF, une couche de persistance et une carte interactive hyperliée. Le document cartographique exécutable est applicable à toutes les sciences qui dépendent de la carte, y compris la géographie, la géologie et toutes les géosciences. Dans cet article, nous décrivons le contexte théorique, proposons des solutions techniques et fournissons une illustration pratique.
This paper presents visualisation techniques of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for visual detection of archaeological features. The methods commonly used in archaeology are reviewed ...and improvements are suggested. One straightforward technique that has so far not been used in archaeology – the shift method – is presented. The main purpose of this article is to compare and evaluate different visualisation methods. Two conclusions have been reached. Where a single method must be chosen – for printing or producing digital images for non-professionals – the use of sky view factor or slope gradient is endorsed, both presented in greyscale. Otherwise interpreters should choose different techniques on different terrain types: shift on flat terrain, sky view factor on mixed terrain, slope gradient on sloped terrain and sky view factor (preferably as a composite image with slope gradient) on rugged terrain.
► Comparison of visualisation techniques of lidar-derived DEMs for archaeology. ► We find that there is no single best method. ► We conclude that different methods must be chosen on different terrain types. ► As a single overall method the use of sky view factor or slope gradient is endorsed.
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