Closing a gap with simple toy. How using a tablet affected documentation workflow on the Rozprza ring-fort excavation.
Jerzy Sikora, Piotr Kittel
Abstract
The use of digital documentation, including image-based 3D techniques allows to reduce the role of traditional and time-consuming manual drawings. However it significantly shortens the process of obtaining data in the field, it also need long time for digital processing of images. In fact, this situation is nothing new. Older researchers probably still remember that similar challenges were connected with a traditional archaeological photography of pre-digital era.
During the excavation on the medieval ring-fort and motte in Rozprza 2D and 3D photogrammetric documentation and integration of the results in GIS was widely used, eliminating traditional forms of field documentation. It was particularly important in extreme wet conditions of work in the bottom of Luciąża river valley. Popular Agisoft PhotoScan software and QGIS georepherence module as well as a set of open source graphical raster and vector applications were used.
The key role was the appropriate organization of the field work involving the parallel excavation of several sections by limited team. As a result, it was possible to flip explorers and equipment in situations where it was necessary to suspend work in the section, until the end of documentation process.
An important facilitation was to support the process by using popular tablet on Android OS. It allowed the application of interpretation layers directly onto earlier prepared orthophotos, with direct contact with documented structures. At the same time descriptive documentation and registration of stratigraphic relationships were performed, using a custom Strati5 app, based on a spreadsheet. This way the field documentation based on 3D techniques became a series of actions implemented routinely at the completion of the exploration of the another layer or preparation of the another cross-section. Simple and cheap tablet helped to close the gap between gathering of field data and later processing and interpretations.
The research project has been financed by grants from The National Science Centre based on the decision No. "DEC-2013/11/B/HS3/03785".
