When data becomes information: visualizing archaeological textiles

The main focus of this work is on web visualization technologies that could be applied to visualize archaeological textile data. The datasets used for the project contain more than seven thousand records of textile fragments.The web application Textile Recorder & Visualizer was created based on the WordPress publishing platform to maintain the records and provide the visual output of the data. Visualization introduces new possibilities into archaeological textile analyses. It also makes the data intellectually accessible for non-specialists.Working with multiple datasets brings up many interesting issues related to preliminary data collection and data standards. Well-defined and organized data help to produce more accurate visualizations and open new possibilities for collaborations.The project has clearly shown that there are always new ways to process and analyze archaeological data. Using web visualization techniques for that purpose was very successful and encourages continued work on that topic

Reinventing the wheel? Data management system for archaeological collections

We often think that we can do better than our predecessors. Over the last five months we have been working with a new archaeological data management system (called TARA) for the Archaeology Department of the University of Tartu in Estonia. Are we reinventing the wheel? Some years ago Stuard Eve presented the Archaeological Recording Kit (2008), a very flexible system, which can handle differently structured archaeological data. There are several other open source systems available. Time has passed and many new and useful web technologies are outperforming the classic PHP/MySQL approach. Our goal was to create the system where all the data structure could be modified without the need of a developer or writing any line of code. At the same time we strive to provide a good user experience and flexibility. Main keywords to describe the design principles of TARA: unrestricting, unstructured, extendable, interconnectable (with non-textual media), fast, scalable. At the moment all of the department’s data management is done using MS Excel spreadsheets. The main task of the the project is to get rid of the spreadsheets and merge it into system which provides a similar user experience via a web-based user interface. About 95% of the users are consumers of data, hence finding something fast is of utmost importance. The group of users acting as collection managers are doing data entry and for them very simple data-entry forms and workflows are created. The technical approach has taken benefits from many new web technologies and approaches. The RESTful API ensures all the data being easily accessible from outside the application and enables us to create different output layers, such as OIA-PMH. The database system is a nonrelational and no-SQL database, which makes many data-related procedures more flexible and faster. For a better user experience client-site data rendering is used. This is based on different . js-frameworks. All technologies used are open source - so is our project outcome. The project team contains developers who are specialised on museum- and cultural heritage related webapplications and two archaeologist with computer science background

Datapool Imaging Case Study: Final Report

This paper details the findings of the DataPool project’s imaging case study. The project sought to better understand how researchers working with imaging data are coping with the challenges of data management. The project has also been charged with assembling resources and information which will help researchers to develop new approaches to data management as well as making more efficient use of available facilities.The study encompassed a wide range of disciplines drawing upon the experiences of researchers from Winchester School of Art, Engineering and the Environment, Physics and Astronomy, Archaeology, Geography, the Library Service, Engineering and the Environment, Ocean and Earth Science, the Centre for Biological Sciences and Electronics and Computer Science

Supporting data management for 3D and raster data: lessons learned from the DataPool project

Research institutions, funding bodies and researchers themselves are becoming increasingly aware of the need to manage imaging and 3D data. At an institutional level data management policies are playing an increasingly significant role laying down plans for the provision of infrastructure, policy and guidance. Drawing upon the preliminary results of the University of Southampton’s JISC funded DataPool project, this paper will gauge the extent to which institutional policy development might be supplemented or even enhanced by an increased awareness of localised responses to the challenges of imaging and 3D data management. The paper will review approaches to data management that have been adopted by individuals and research groups and will propose that in many cases these developments might be pivotal in defining the form of institutional data management policy should tak

Reflectance transformation: an approach for imaging archaeological finds

Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) is a technology that uses conventional digital photographs to derive detailed surface shape information (Figure 1). It is a digital, interactive version of the raking light photography commonly used in finds photography and (with the sun) on site to represent subtle changes in surface morphology. The University of Southampton is currently leading a project in collaboration with Oxford University funded by the AHRC further to develop and promote the RTI technology. We recently provided a demonstration of the available tools at the IfA conference on April 11th 2011

Application of Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to surface bone changes in paleopathology

Each zip file in the repository includes the following items: one or more standard photographs of the specimen for comparison, the original complete .rti file, and a folder containing the snapshots of the RTI images obtained with RTIViewer. By default, snapshots of eight standard light rakings, together with the specular enhancement and the normals visualization rendering modes were acquired. When needed, additional magnified snapshots were provided, and are named with View (no.) in the folders. When using this material, please cite this dataset as follows: Morrone, A., Pagi, H.,Tõrv, M.; Oras, E., 2020. Application of Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to surface bone changes in paleopathology. UT DataDOI online repository. Available at: DOI link.The paper associated to this repository evaluates the applicability of Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to the study of pathological surface changes in human remains. A sample of 45 human bones and teeth from medieval and early modern Estonian cemeteries was photographed and subjected to RTI imaging to document the pathological conditions that more frequently result in subtle surface modifications. Subperiosteal bone production (SBP), abnormal porosity, cribra orbitalia, endocranial lesions and lytic lesions in bone, and enamel hypoplasia and dental calculus in teeth were successfully represented with this technique. The results indicate that RTI allows visualizing shallow and discrete bone changes otherwise unnoticed. Although it cannot entirely replace microscopic and radiological techniques, RTI can be successfully performed in a reasonable time by non-specialist operators with limited funding and resources, and enables to identify the specimens that should be subject to more expensive or time-consuming analyses. Each zip file in the repository includes the following items: one or more standard photographs of the specimen for comparison, the original complete .rti file, and a folder containing the snapshots of the RTI images obtained with RTIViewer. By default, snapshots of eight standard light rakings, together with the specular enhancement and the normals visualization rendering modes were acquired. When needed, additional magnified snapshots were provided, and are named with View (no.) in the folders

Polynomial texture mapping and related imaging technologies for the recording, analysis and presentation of archaeological materials

Polynomial Texture Mapping (PTM; Malzbender et al 2001) uses multiple images to capture the reflectance properties of a given surface. Multiple captures may be combined in order to produce interactive, relit records of the material recorded. In addition recent research enables the capture and rendition of interactive PTMs for detailed examination of surface details. Cultural heritage examples of the technology include work on Cuneiform tablets, numismatic archives and lithic artefacts.This paper will describe the PTM data capture and processing technologies developed by the University of Southampton, with support from Hewlett Packard Labs Palo Alto. It will also identify the perceived archaeological potential of additional recording to supplement the standard PTM datasets, including the recording of the surface BRDF (bi-directional reflectance distribution function) and accurate extraction of surface normals. Such data offer considerable, under-exploited value in production of comparative conservation datasets. They also enable new forms of analysis, and the possibility for a step-change in the visual fidelity of reconstructions of archaeological surfaces.Case studies will include ongoing work on the examination of Roman wall paintings, Roman stylus writing tablets, medieval wood, bronze artefacts from a maritime contexts, Neolithic architectural plaster, excavation contexts, brick stamps and sculpture. Each of these presents particular challenges and opportunities for recording, analysis and presentation.The paper will conclude by identifying the synergies between PTM, related imaging technologies, photogrammetry and non-contact digitisation through recent case studies on African rock art and on excavated material from the Portus Project (www.portusproject.org). It will identify the ongoing challenges and proposed future developments.<br/