1.5. Enhancing Archaeological Data Collection and Student Learning with a Mobile Relational Database

In 2011, the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológico Regional Ancash (PIARA) inaugurated an archaeological field school that employed a comprehensive digital data collection protocol. Students learned to record data on iPads using our customized relational databases for excavation, human skeletal analysis, and artifact classification. The databases integrated digital media, such as vector drawings and annotated photos. In a final research project, the students used the tablet system to analyze excavation contexts and artifacts, visualize relationships between the data, conduct literature reviews, and present their findings. This chapter discusses how students develop a greater comprehension of archaeological concepts and stronger research skills when they collect and analyze data using a relational database. More precisely, it argues that the database develops more perceptive archaeologists who can immediately recognize and interpret relationships between archaeological materials, contexts, and features. The technology, then, not only aids in-field planning and interpretation, but also cultivates analytical thinking.https://dc.uwm.edu/arthist_mobilizingthepast/1006/thumbnail.jp

Panel on Paperless Recording and Data Management

Chair: Sebastian Heath, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World Next Steps in Paperless Recording: An Update from the Sangro Valley Project; Christopher F. Motz, University of Cincinnati (Department of Classics) Taking Survey Digital: Implementing a Paperless Workflow on the Eastern Vani Survey; Ryan Hughes, University of Michigan iArchaeology: Explorations in In-Field Digital Data Collection; Kathryn E. DeTore and Rebecca E. Bria, Proyecto de Investigacion Arqueologico Regional Ancash Going Big. Data management strategies for the large scale excavations at Gabii (Italy) Rachel Opitz, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, et al