ESRI Archaeology and GIS News, Summer 2008

Welcome to ESRI Archaeology and GIS News, a quarterly newsletter about the many resources available to the ESRI archaeology and GIS user community.

In This Issue

• Call for Papers
• ESRI Software Documentation and Tools
• Data, Maps, and Models
• Books, Articles, and More
• ESRI Conference Papers in Archaeology

Call for Papers

The International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing (formerly the Journal of History and Computing) would like to hear from people using GIS in archaeology or history who might wish to publish a paper in the next issue of the journal, due in summer 2008. The journal welcomes submissions on conceptual or theoretical approaches and case studies or essays demonstrating how advanced information technologies further scholarly understanding of traditional topics in the arts and humanities. The journal also welcomes submissions on policy, epistemological, and pedagogical issues insofar as they relate directly to computing-based arts and humanities research.

Contact Paul Ell or David Bodenhamer.

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ESRI Software Documentation and Tools

ArcMap for Archaeology: Mapping GPS and Lab Data
Workshop Proceedings
Visit this site and scroll down through the step-by-step details of the presentation Working with Archaeological Survey Data in ArcMap 9.2: Making Maps That Link GPS Point Locations with Artifact-Level Data. The workshop data files are also available.

Downloadable Scripts

New Spider Diagram Tools for ArcGIS 9.2
This Python script creates spider diagrams from points contained in one or two feature classes.

Voronoi Diagrams
This is an ArcGIS extension for generating and updating ordinary and multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagrams for points, lines, and polygons.

Calculate Strata Depth and Thickness
This tool provides functionality to work through all features in a dataset, sort them in terms of their elevation, and compute the depth and volume between the different strata.

Geologic Cross Section Tool
This tool takes relevant information from a geologic map and builds a template from which the user can begin to digitize a geologic cross section.

Section Utility
This performs earthwork calculations, such as cut and fill volume, in any contour map. The utility could be extended to perform similar tasks by modifying the source code.

3D Above Ground Level (ArcMap 9)
This calculates the distance between a GRID or TIN layer and a 3D shapefile layer. It requires the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst or 3D Analyst extension, depending on the elevation model.

CAD Geoprocessing Sample Toolbox for ArcGIS 9
This contains script files and a geoprocessing toolbox of sample models for translating and creating CAD files.

Burn Multipatch into Digital Terrain Models
This is useful for running tools like Viewshed, Line of Sight, and Solar Radiation in urban environments.

Generate Lattice
This tool creates a feature class populated with equally distributed polygons or points, given a coordinate extent and values on how to divide it. For example, create an array of regularly distributed points for sampling values from a raster grid.

Timeslider Extension for ArcGIS 9.2
This extension provides functionality to animate feature data that has date and time information.

Unload Table to Text
This script uploads a table to a delimited text file and allows greater control of file format, delimiters, selection and order of fields, date style, and so forth.

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Data, Maps, and Models

Oregon Explorer
Statewide 0.5-meter aerial imagery for Oregon is available online. Add the imagery to ArcCatalog. Use the Oregon Explorer advanced mapping tool for vector data.

The Last of the Wild
Version two of The Last of the Wild, a Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) collaboration, is a global one-kilometer-resolution dataset that aims to measure the extent of human influence on the earth's surface. Available data includes the Human Influence Index, Human Footprint, and the Last of the Wild datasets.

Version two uses updated data on human population density, land transformation, human access, electrical power infrastructure, and settlements. Urban boundaries are drawn from the Global Rural-Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP). Population density and roads data is more complete, particularly concerning roads in Africa and Latin America. More navigable rivers are included and more extensive land-cover data is used.

SAHIMS GIS Library
The Southern Africa Human-development Information Management System (SAHIMS) provides easily accessible standardized data from the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, and government agencies. View metadata and download country datasets.

Heritage Digital Toolkit
This is the final report and user's guide for the U.S. Forest Service Heritage Resource Program electronic data collection kit for recording sites in the field. Read the report. Download the Heritage Digital Toolkit User Guide. [PDF]

GEBCO Digital Atlas
General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO)
The British Oceanographic Data Centre offers a free global, one-arc-minute bathymetric grid and sells a global set of digital bathymetric contours and coastlines at a discount to educational and academic research establishments and national hydrographic offices. This is quite exciting news, as ocean data has been difficult to come by for GIS use. Download GEBCO one-arc-minute grid bathymetry data. Read more about the GEBCO Digital Atlas.

University of Portsmouth, Great Britain, Historical GIS

• History of U.S. Railroads and Coal
  Provides information on the development of the northeastern U.S. railroad network, the anthracite coal industry, the Pennsylvania bituminous coal industry, and the growth of the iron and steel industry
• Old Hampshire Mapped
  Historical maps of Hampshire, Great Britain, with metadata
• Old Sussex Mapped
  Historical maps of the county of Sussex, Great Britain, with metadata
• Guides to the Lakes
  Historical maps of the lakes of Great Britain with metadata

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Books, Articles, and More

New Conservation GeoPortal Taps Into a World of Maps and Data
Article by Frank Biasi, Director, Conservation Projects - National Geographic Maps
National Geographic Maps reviews the history and contents of the Conservation GeoPortal, a resource developed to make mining information relevant to conservation easier to find and provide a place to publicize information for others to discover and use. Explore the Conservation GeoPortal.

Integration and Analysis of Historical and Environmental Data Using GIS
This article by Alastair Pearson and Peter Collier discusses the advantages and issues of using GIS to integrate environmental data with historical maps and documents and perform statistical analysis. The context is agricultural history research on mid-nineteenth century agricultural productivity in Great Britain.

Geodatabase Structure for Archaeology [PDF]
This is a technical article on developing a sample geodatabase structure for managing archaeological data and resources with ArcGIS by Edward W. Tennant.

The GIS Atlas of Ancient Maya Settlements
This project studies the settlement patterns of the ancient Maya in eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.

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ESRI Conference Papers in Archaeology

Read archaeology papers presented at the 2007 ESRI International User Conference.

Papers from 2000 to 2006 are also available.

This newsletter is only to distribute relevant information of interest to the group. Use the online forum for GIS and archaeology discussions.

If you have material to submit for the newsletter or questions or comments about it, contact bbooth@esri.com.

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