Do we have a heading for hard questions about mobile GIS in archaeology?
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-11-18

Currently, a number of GIS applications are available for download for phones or tablets. With the help of these, professionals and non-professionals both can start to collect data connected to archaeology/ history and can visualise them i.e. as story-telling maps of historical neighbourhood areas. But what will happen when a professional archaeologist decides to work with such an application? Will it change his or her work flow process of preparing and conducting the field prospection? It seems that mobile application for collecting data will revolutionize archaeological survey as it is a cheap (?), easy (?) and cost-efficient method (?). During the summer of 2017, two mobile GIS applications (Collector and Survey123) were used for field prospection. The research was done on two archaeological sites in the area of Castillo de Huarmey, Peru. The application’s preparation for data collection was arranged by a GIS-archaeologist, but the field work was done by seven students (from different faculties). The goal of this paper is to discuss the process of preparation of applications, data collection in the field, results of survey and the presentation of data. I would like to present the positive and negative side of applications and I would also like to discuss the question of: should archaeologists use this methods and if yes, how can it change a classic field prospection and what are the biggest changes in the work flow that we should watch out for?

(Julia M. Chyla)