Archaeology and Geographic Information Systems
Geographic Information Systems or GIS are part of a set of new computer aided technologies available to social scientists interested in modeling the spatial aspects of human communities. GIS provides users with the ability to create multilayered maps of anything from houses to regions. Physical parameters can be combined with statistical databases to create a "geocoded" map of key social and environmental features. The graphical display of information such as census data gives users the ability to spot complex spatial relationships not readily observable in a table of statistics. The use of computers allows layers of such information to be superimposed in order to discover even more complex relationships.
UI Assistant Professor Glenn Storey uses computer-aided design and is currently commencing a project using GIS technology to study ancient Rome. Storey, who holds a joint appointment in classics and anthropology, acquired the necessary hardware and software for his research thanks to a new faculty startup grant from the UI's College of Liberal Arts. He notes that the real benefit of GIS for archaeologists goes far beyond map making to its usefulness as an analysis tool. "This is a tool that can be used for making predictions," he adds, "for setting up scenarios and asking what if..."
In Storey's case the what if question has to do with settlement patterns within ancient Rome. In on-going research he has constructed highly detailed multi-colored maps of Pompeii and Ostia to illustrate different scenarios for utilization of space. He describes his current problem this way, "A fourth century source tells us how many 'buildings' were in Rome but there's a terminological problem that may be leading us to confuse a building with a unit within a building." Using his GIS program Storey will be constructing a simulated map of the unexcavated areas of the site. "By putting in the actual contours of the land and making some assumptions about space requirements from the known areas I can construct a hypothetical section of the town region-by-region using different layers for different types of structures."
Storey notes that part of the difficulty lies in getting the maps of the known information in the computer in the first place. For this he relies on hand digitizing existing printed maps but it is a painstaking process. In the future he hopes to combine his current system with even more advanced satellite based technologies such as remote sensing and Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS). He also hopes to encourage more graduate students to make use of GIS. "The technology can be intimidating at first but the ability to conduct these simulations presents archaeologists with a very powerful tool."
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Last Updated: 10-2003
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